Where is the best site for wave energy exploitation? Case study along the coast of northern Latium (ITALY)

The present work proposes a siting process for the detection of a suitable site for wave energy exploitation. The choice of a suitable site is based on the good agreement between energy availability, environmental sustainability, and equipped facilities to exploit wave energy. The case study in the northern Latium coast is explicative because in this area there are several activities that affect marine ecosystems, and the introduction of renewable energies promote the reduction of anthropic pressures. The nearshore wave power is studied through the numerical wave model (CMS-Wave), and available wave buoys along the coast were used to compare numerical results. In correspondence with Civitavecchia harbour, the largest nearshore wave energy was found; the large depth in front of the breakwater allows to conserve a great part of offshore wave power, with an average dissipation rate of 10 % less than offshore, with mean annual available wave energy of 25.4 MWh/m and seasonal fluctuation of 5.4 MWh/m. This area appears to be an optimal site for nearshore and shoreline wave energy device tests and installations, for energy availability (intermediate level respect Mediterreanean Sea), low potential environmental impact, easier accessibility, and policy oriented towards a larger sustainability of harbour activities.     

Bisphenol A endocrine disruptor complete degradation using TiO2 photocatalysis with ozone

Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor. Complete mineralization of bisphenol A is therefore a primary environmental issue. Here, the combination of ozonation and photocatalysis by TiO₂ is proposed for the degradation and final mineralization of bisphenol A. TiO₂ films deposited onto two sides of an Al lamina show good stability and high surface roughness. We used a specific experimental setup employing two facing ultraviolet lamps and TiO₂ layers, together with an ozone flux. High-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry determinations on bisphenol A solutions sampled at different reaction times and Fourier Transform Infrared analyses of the oxide at the end of the reaction were performed to study the reaction intermediates and the overall degradation mechanism. Our results show that pollutant mineralization achieved with the combined method is far higher, of 55% in the case of 0.3 mM bisphenol A, than those obtained by individual treatments such as photolysis (<3%), ozonation (6%), photocatalysis (6%), and by other combined processes: photolytic ozonation (13%) and catalytic ozonation (15%). This finding is explained by the occurrence of highly synergistic effects.     

Ancient settlement dynamics and predictive archaeological models for the Metapontum coastal area in Basilicata,southern Italy: from geomorphological survey to spatial analysis

In the ancient territory of the Greek settlement of Metaponto and its Chora (Ionian sector of Basilicata, southern Italy) geomorphological mapping, GIS-supported statistics, and landform topographic features were investigated and combined to extract settlement rules and site dynamics. Analyses of environmental dynamics as well as of spatial and temporal settlement evolution were carried through an integrated approach that, starting from a detailed geomorphological analysis, tried to extract the spatial relationships between archaeological site locations and landform/landscape features. Spatial analysis was used to investigate the relationships between environmental parameters and archaeological sites. The advantages to develop a predictive model using Archeological Spatial Evaluation (ASE) analysis lay in the possibility to deeply study the relationships between man and the environment. In the present study, the analysis was carried out in a pioneering way in the ~400 km² Metaponto territory in order to robustly validate - in the aftermath data - human and territorial dynamics. A model describing interactions between sites and parameters such as elevation, slope, aspect, landforms, land use, and distances from rivers was constructed. Sensibility maps were produced, which will help archaeologists to know how many and which are the parameters increasing the probability to find new archaeological sites as well as how the main geomorphological features of the study area, contextualized within the most likely paleoclimate scenario, affect ancient site arrangement though time. The preferential occupation of mid-altitude marine terraces, and the consequence spreading of agriculture on these territories, is likely due to the existence of well-developed soil profiles on them. Clearly colonists recognized that on these landform units there were the better conditions for the development of massive agricultural practices: since the SP age (4,1 to 2,0 Kyr B.P.) the settlers expands inland looking for most fertile territories as well as for areas sufficiently protected (being far away from the coast). The increase in farmhouses on the top of marine terraces from the FC up to EC-EE periods and the modifications of settlement distribution (gradual abandonment of alluvial) in the Metaponto area is likely related to the acceleration of alluvial processes. The progressive decrease of human occupation during the Hellenistic up to the Roman Age is clearly consequence of the Roman conquest. However, a role played by the increase in flooding occurrence in the coastal plain/floodplains of the main rivers in triggering the abandonment of these territories and marking the beginning of the decadent phases should not be neglected. Productive areas (locally associated to farmhouses) are preferential set along the fluvial incisions (sometime associated to farmhouses), thus implying that productive area setting is strongly linked to the presence of rivers, and of their lower rank tributaries, both as an intrinsic need of manufacturing and to facilitate the spreading of products. From the Classical to the Hellenistic Age until the Roman Age, Necropolis are spread in the entire area, from marine terraces to alluvial plain. On the other hand, Sacred areas - which appearance is recorded starting from the Colony Foundation Age - exhibits a settlement continuity in the study area starting from this time up to the entire Roman period, and the sacred areas setting is strictly associated to the category of Settlement.     

Design-based estimation in environmental surveys with positional errors

The recent increased availability of information about the micro-geographic positions of population units in environmental surveys has led to important developments in spatial sampling methodologies and, as a result, has improved the estimation accuracy. In real data, however, information about the location of units is often affected by inaccuracy about their exact spatial positions, and these non-sampling errors can affect the estimation procedure. This paper aims to investigate the effects of positional errors on total estimation through a Monte-Carlo simulation study based on real populations of trees. Starting from perfect positioning, we examine two typical types of coarsening that frequently impact two different species of trees. The simulation results show that the exploitation of spatial information to estimate population totals continues to be relevant in the context of environmental surveys, even in the presence of inaccuracies.     

Sex-related asymmetry in competitive ability of sexually monomorphic barn swallow nestlings

In diverse taxa, offspring solicit parental care using complex displays, which may evolve as reliable signals of condition or as mechanisms to manipulate parental investment. Differential sex allocation may therefore result from adaptive parental decisions or sex-related variation in competitive ability or because of sex-related asymmetries in kin selection. Under normal food provisioning, female barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) nestlings begged more loudly but did not receive more food than male nestlings. After food deprivation, begging call loudness of males but not females increased. Begging loudness positively predicted the number of feedings received by the nestlings, and males gained more mass than females after food deprivation. Male nestlings are more severely affected by chronic food reduction and may therefore accrue a larger benefit compared to females by increasing their food intake under short-term conditions of food scarcity. These results suggest that either females do not increase begging intensity to favour male broodmates which are more vulnerable to prolonged food stress, or that males prevail in scramble competition despite being similar in size to females.     

Atmospheric fate of OH initiated oxidation of terpenes. Reaction mechanism of alpha-pinene degradation and secondary organic aerosol formation

This paper studies the reaction products of alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, sabinene, 3-carene and limonene with OH radicals and of alpha-pinene with ozone using FT-IR spectroscopy for measuring gas phase products and HPLC-MS-MS to measure products in the aerosol phase. These techniques were used to investigate the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from the terpenes. The gas phase reaction products were all quantified using reference compounds. At low terpene concentrations (0.9-2.1 ppm), the molar yields of gas phase reaction products were: HCHO 16-92%, HCOOH 10-54% (OH source: H2O2, 6-25 ppm); HCHO 127-148%, HCOOH 4-6% (OH source: CH3ONO, 5-8 ppm). At high terpene concentrations (4.1-13.2 ppm) the results were: HCHO 9-27%, HCOOH 15-23%, CH3(CO)CH3 0-14%, CH3COOH 0-5%, nopinone 24% (only from beta-pinene oxidation), limona ketone 61% (only from limonene oxidation), pinonaldehyde was identified during alpha-pinene degradation (OH source H2O2, 23-30 ppm); HCHO 76-183%, HCOOH 12-15%, CH3(CO)CH3 0-12%, nopinone 17% (from beta-pinene oxidation), limona ketone 48% (from limonene oxidation), pinonaldehyde was identified during alpha-pinene degradation (OH source CH3ONO, 14-16 ppm). Pinic acid, pinonic acid, limonic acid, limoninic acid, 3-caric acid, 3-caronic acid and sabinic acid were identified in the aerosol phase. On the basis of these results, we propose a formation mechanism for pinonic and pinic acid in the aerosol phase explaining how degradation products could influence SOA formation and growth in the troposphere.     

Performance of sequential anaerobic/aerobic digestion applied to municipal sewage sludge

A promising alternative to conventional single phase processing, the use of sequential anaerobic-aerobic digestion, was extensively investigated on municipal sewage sludge from a full scale wastewater treatment plant. The objective of the work was to evaluate sequential digestion performance by testing the characteristics of the digested sludge in terms of volatile solids (VS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and nitrogen reduction, biogas production, dewaterability and the content of proteins and polysaccharides. VS removal efficiencies of 32% in the anaerobic phase and 17% in the aerobic one were obtained, and similar COD removal efficiencies (29% anaerobic and 21% aerobic) were also observed. The aerobic stage was also efficient in nitrogen removal providing a decrease of the nitrogen content in the supernatant attributable to nitrification and simultaneous denitrification. Moreover, in the aerobic phase an additional marked removal of proteins and polysaccharides produced in the anaerobic phase was achieved. The sludge dewaterability was evaluated by determining the Optimal Polymer Dose (OPD) and the Capillary Suction Time (CST) and a significant positive effect due to the aerobic stage was observed. Biogas production was close to the upper limit of the range of values reported in the literature in spite of the low anaerobic sludge retention time of 15 days. From a preliminary analysis it was found that the energy demand of the aerobic phase was significantly lower than the recovered energy in the anaerobic phase and the associated additional cost was negligible in comparison to the saving derived from the reduced amount of sludge to be disposed.     

Coastal dune systems and disturbance factors: monitoring and analysis in central Italy

This study describes the conservation status of dune systems in relation to disturbance factors in the coastal stretch of the Viterbo province, Latium Region, Italy. Particular emphasis was given to the bioindication value of plant communities and their sequence. Each plant community was considered as a "habitat" in accordance with Annex I of the Directive 92/43/EU. Stress factors, such as sand dynamic and erosion, and anthropogenic pressures, such as trampling and bathing settlements, influence the sequence of habitats and weaken the system of relations that makes these coenoses to occur in extreme conditions. The choice to carry out surveys along wide transects, recording different data, allowed to explore the use of habitats as bioindicators. Comparing sites characterized by the same extension in a homogeneous area, it was possible to expand the use of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) as a tool to correlate habitat composition and disturbance factors. The application of CCA showed a high correlation of degradation and habitat loss with coastal erosion, trampling and presence of waste. Furthermore, floristic surveys allowed the application of different biodiversity indices to quantify species richness of sampled areas. The conservation status of the sites investigated was found to be diverse, from the total disappearance of the mobile dune habitats to their complete sequence. The proposed methodology has been useful to fulfill the objective of the work and is applicable to other case studies in the Mediterranean.     

An imprecise Fault Tree Analysis for the estimation of the Rate of OCcurrence Of Failure (ROCOF)

The paper proposes an imprecise Fault Tree Analysis in order to characterize systems affected by the lack of reliability data. Differently from other research works, the paper introduces a classification of basic events into two categories, namely Initiators and Enablers. Actually, in real industrial systems some events refer to component failures or process parameter deviations from normal operating conditions (Initiators), whereas others refer to the functioning of safety barriers to be activated on demand (Enablers). As a consequence, the output parameter of interest is not the classical probability of occurrence of the top event, but its Rate of OCcurrence (ROCOF) over a stated period of time. In order to characterize the basic events, interval-valued information supplied by experts are properly aggregated and propagated to the top. To this purpose, the Dempster–Shafer Theory of evidence is proposed as a more appropriate mathematical framework than the classical probabilistic one. The proposed methodology, applied to a real industrial scenario, can be considered a helpful tool to support risk managers working in industrial plants.