Riviste Online SApienza - R.O.SA - 2 (Sapienza University of Rome)
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Joining forces between scientists and citizens: new records and updated distribution of Oryctes nasicornis grypus (Illiger, 1803) in the north-western Iberian Peninsula (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae)
Get PDFThe lack of detailed geographical distribution knowledge prevents defi ning reliable distribution ranges for many insects. Combining data from entomological collections, literature, citizen science and social media can frequently address this problem, but analysing the contribution of each information source is rarely applied. Oryctes nasicornis grypus is widely distributed across the Iberian Peninsula, but records from the Atlantic Arch, especially Galicia, are scarce. By reviewing literature, entomological collections, citizen science projects and social media, we delineated a more accurate distribution range for this species in Galicia, gathering 103 records and identifying 17 new grid cells. Additionally, we analysed the relative contribution of each information source for mapping this species. Social media contributed the most new grid cells (41.18%), followed by citizen science (29.41%) and entomological collections (23.53%). Furthermore, this work highlights the importance of public involvement in improving insect distribution knowledge and establishes a baseline for filling distribution gaps of O. nasicornis grypus in the northwestern Iberia
Review of the Amaurina Kolbe, 1895 of Angola, with description of a new species (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae, Leucocelina)
Get PDFThe genus Amaurina Kolbe, 1895 has undergone a turbulent taxonomic history and is currently composed of five species, two of which have been recorded from Angola thus far. A new species has recently been discovered in the central and eastern parts of this country and is hereby described as A. schuelei sp. nov. This new species is most closely related, both biogeographically and morphologically, to the sympatric A. spoliata (Harold, 1879), but can superficially be separated from this by its smaller size, the more deplanate body shape lined with a white band across its entire perimeter, the more marked umbonal width and a deeper subhumeral arch. Furthermore, its aedeagal parameres differ markedly from those of A. spoliata, and indeed from those of any other species in the genus, by virtue of their extremely reduced external lobes. Only the holotype specimen is currently known physically, but a photographic observation posted on the iNaturalist platform indicates that the species may actually occur across a wide, although poorly accessible, region of Angola and possibly even in neighbouring Zambia
Giorgia Bressan (a cura di), Conoscere i Castelli Romani. Risorse, attori e prospettive, Bologna, Pàtron, 2024, pp. 164
No full textA swift approach for identifying vulnerable linear transport infrastructures in areas prone to floods and erosion
No full textLinear transport infrastructures are essential for the socioeconomic development of industrialized countries. However, adverse meteorological and hydrogeological events can result in significant economic losses. Globally, floods have the most substantial socio-economic impact. Climate Change, due to the extent of transport infrastructures over flood-prone territories, is a very important factor in worsening flood risk. The main objective of this study is to identify the sections of the hydrographic network that are susceptible to flood and erosion hazards where road infrastructures are located. The Metropolitan City of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) is selected as test site, due to the presence of several coastal watersheds and of a high population density. A swift methodological approach, based on already available datasets from public repositories and GIS analyses, is presented. This approach includes: i) geomorphological characterization of the hydrographic network; ii) census of stream tracts where bridges were damaged in past flood events; iii) identification of potentially critical tracts (PCT), based on similar geomorphological conditions; iv) multi-temporal satellite imagery analysis of PCT for the identification of flood-prone areas and, therefore, vulnerable road crossings. The adopted methodology has proved to be effective for the identification of vulnerable road crossings over wide portion of territories, identifying critical sites that need further investigation
Anionic polyacrylamide as an additive to prevent soil proneness towards land degradation leading to slope instabilities
No full textClimate change and the intensification of extreme weather events constantly pose new threats to all human activities, damaging roads and communication networks, as well as economical activities and threatening human lives. Recently new materials are being considered as potentially useful tools in the prevention of land degradation leading to slope instabilities; among them polymers such as anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) are gaining more and more interest. PAM is known and employed as an additive in agriculture, in the prevention of irrigation-connected erosion, to maximize irrigation and fertilization efficiency and to enhance agricultural yield. Samples were reconstructed in laboratory using kaolin clay and silty sand, respectively, without mixing them to observe the effects of application of anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) on their physical, volumetric, mechanical, and hydrological properties. Fixed values were dry density (1.2 g/cm3 for kaolin clay and 1.4 g/cm3 for silty sand), initial water content (20% and 25% respectively) and polymer application rates (moving from the original 0%, 0.003%, 0.03%, 0.3%, 1% by weight for both “parent materials” to 0.01%, 0.03% and 0.05% for kaolin clay and 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5% for silty sand, based on the results of previous analysis). Additional samples consisting of kaolin clay and quartz powder and polyacrylamide (with a concentration of 5% and 50%) were reconstituted specifically for ESEM analysis. The polymer, a granular anionic polyacrylamide provided by Micronizzazione Innovativa Srl, has been manually applied and mixed with the samples, reconstituted in pvc cylinders with a diameter of 9.5 cm and 5 cm high (although some were reconstituted in different cases for specific tests). Samples were then submitted to Atterberg limits with different curing times, hyprop and filter paper tests, WP4C, shear tests, and the record of volumetric characteristics. Results showed that the increase of PAM percentage in samples generally coincided with a widening of samples plasticity range, as well as with the increase of liquid limit and plasticity index; PAM influence was also a matter of time, being more relevant few days after the treatment and then slowly decreasing. Rise in PAM percentage coincided with an increase in samples porosity, and with a higher water retention, although it was impossible to identify a polymer characteristic structure with SEM analysis. These results can shed light on the potential application of polymers such as anionic polyacrylamide as a useful additive for the improvement of soil characteristics that impact on soil stability, in a frame of sustainable solutions for reduction of landslides susceptibility, hazard and risk
The knowledge of the Vajont Landslide through the photos of Edoardo Semenza: the English exhibition
No full textThe “Vajont disaster” of 9 October 1963, a paradigm of the catastrophe of human origin, is illustrated through the exceptional photos taken by Edoardo Semenza before and immediately after the event, presented in a new English exhibition. Edoardo Semenza was a geologist and one of the Italian leading landslide researchers. He put his distinctive mark on the understanding of the Alps, making original contributions to the geology, tectonics and geomorphology of the Dolomites. Semenza was the geologist who discovered that an ancient landslide mass was present on the southern side of the Vajont valley upstream from the reservoir under construction, before the first movements occurred on the slope. In the images shown in the thirteen roll-ups that make up the exhibition (Fig. 1), the intuitions, growing awareness, and sense of urgency of the man who first recognized the existence of the ancient landslide become evident. They reveal his “mente et malleo” (“with the mind and the hammer”) approach, which allowed him to develop a model of the slope and what today we call risk scenarios. His discovery was immediately taken into consideration by the designer and project managers of the dam, albeit onlyas a hypothesis to be verified with follow-up research and investigations. Unfortunately, his work, which lasted until 1961, did not prevent the disaster from taking place. The hundreds of photos of the landslide and of the valley taken by Semenza between 1959 and 1963, allow us to access both his intimate and personal, and professional dimensions. A part of these materials, taken from the volume and CD “The photos of the Vajont landslide” and from Edoardo Semenza’s book on the landslide, is shown in the roll-up banners, and constitutes a contribution to the discussion. Texts, images and captions are selected and adapted from these two publications. Through this exhibition and a renewed attention to Semenza’s work we hope to raise awareness on the fundamental role that the knowledge of geology holds for the respect and protection of the environment. The first version of the exhibition “La storia del Vaiont: la conoscenza della frana attraverso le foto di Edoardo Semenza” was organized by AIGA and the National Council of Geologists (CNG) on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the landslide (Genevois & Prestininzi, 2013). It was hosted by over 30 university campuses, several high schools, research centers, and museums. Launched in Naples during the National Conference of Young Researchers in Engineering Geology in February 2013, it continued its journey throughout Italy. By the end of 2014, it had been visited by several thousand students. Surrounding it, the departments or museums that hosted it organized significant events of a educational/scientific nature. It contributed to the spread of geological culture in general. It also received extensive coverage in national and local media and newspapers. In 2023, a renewed graphical version of the exhibition, in English, was realized by the Italian Association of Engineering and Environmental Geology (AIGA - Associazione Italiana di Geologia Applicata e Ambientale) and presented to the public on the occasion of the 6th World Landslide Forum in Florence for the sixtieth anniversary of the Vajont disaster. The landslide is still today the subject of debate and scientific reflection, due to the extraordinary amount of data available, as well as to the corpus of memories, stories, and testimonies that affected communities preserve and continue to build. Semenza repeatedly stressed the need to collect field data to understand slope failure conditions as a basis of correct landslide modelling. He strongly believed both in the role of geology and geomorphology as fundamental support to any engineering project and in the importance of a good communication between the various specialists working on large projects. In these aspects, just like in his research work, he was apioneer and a leader for the whole geological community
Features of the construction of directed deep wells in Turkmenistan
No full textThe relevance of the study of construction of directional deep wells in Turkmenistan lies in the application of innovative drilling methods for efficient oil production from hard-to-reach horizons, which is becoming a strategic necessity in the context of the development of the oil industry in this country. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of the simultaneous separate operation method in the context of hydrocarbon production in one of the fields of Turkmenistan. In the course of the work the statistical method, comparative method and analysis were used. The results of the study indicated that the introduction of advanced technologies and equipment in the process of drilling and well development in the region of Turkmenistan had a profound impact on oil production. It has led not only to increased efficiency and reduced well construction time, but also increased oil production. The demand for this technology is of particular importance in western Turkmenistan, where directional drilling has become a key factor in the region’s economic development and energy security. The gamma ray logging results show fluctuations in natural radiation levels corresponding to different geological formations. Pressure curves plotted as a function of depth demonstrate fluctuations in reservoir pressure. The results of the work are of direct practical significance, allowing to accelerate the development of fields in difficult geological conditions, offshore shallow waters, as well as to reduce drilling costs without requiring changes in oil recovery factor
Earthquakes in the Valmarecchia area (Northern Apennines, Italy)
No full textThe Valmarecchia area, located between the Emilia-Romagna and Marche administrative regions, is characterized by numerous landslides and has been affected by earthquakes occurring both outside and inside its territory. As earthquakes are one of the main causes of gravitational phenomena, we investigated the occurrence of earthquake-induced landslides, starting from the events that were reported as felt in any of the Valmarecchia municipalities. We analyzed their magnitude and distance from the area and identified the seismotectonic areas that generated them. We found that more than half of the earthquakes that hit Valmarecchia historically could have generated shaking-induced landslides; and yet, based on the ample documentation stored in online portals, we also found that the number of earthquakes for which there exists historical evidence for such phenomena is very limited. This is likely the result to lack of information on the correlation among earthquakes and landslides, possibly justified by the local historical and geographical context and by the seismotectonic marginality of Valmarecchia, located off the main seismogenic trends of the Italian peninsula. We aim to improve knowledge on Valmarecchia seismicity and to illustrate a methodology for identifying both earthquake-induced effects and the areas that are prone to these phenomena
A new species of Zorochros from Iran, with additional records and an updated checklist of Iranian species of this genus (Coleoptera: Elateridae, Negastriinae)
Get PDFA new species from western provinces of Iran, Zorochros parvus Nasserzadeh & Platia, sp. nov., is described, and a new Iranian record of Z. murinus (Reitter, 1895) is presented, with figures and distributional maps of both species at regional level. An updated checklist of Iranian species of Zorochros Thomson, 1859, with their provincial distribution, is finally included
