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The main aim of this study was to define a procedure useful to evaluate the potential environmental, social and economic benefits contained in paper and cardboard (or other recyclables), which are wasted in the unsorted fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW). To give a practical example, the procedure was applied to the 550 municipalities of the Campania region, in Southern Italy, but the developed procedure is applicable in any context in an 'urban mining' perspective. The procedure consists of five phases and uses two methodologies: one for the estimation of the composition analysis of the unsorted residual waste and another for the calculation of sustainability indicators able to measure the benefits wasted in the unsorted residual MSW. Six indicators were defined: two for the environment (carbon footprint and ecological footprint), two for the society (health footprint and occupational benefits) and two for the economy (economic profit and economic saving). The first methodology was developed by the regional environmental protection agency to update the MSW regional management plan. The second methodology is based on the use of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) through which it was possible to calculate the reference parameters useful for the calculation of the impacts (i.e., loss of benefits) for recycling, mechanical and biological treatment (MBT), incineration and landfilling of paper and cardboard contained in the unsorted residual waste. The obtained results confirmed the presence of such an enormous deposit of recyclable materials contained in the unsorted residual waste, which is a potential source, but not exploited, of environmental, social and economic benefits. For instance, the paper and cardboard 'urban mine' of Naples was greater than 16 million of euro (economic profit + economic saving), with a potential saving of around 11.4 million of kgCO 2 eq. (carbon footprint), 207 million of m2 (ecological footprint), 44 Disability Adjusted Life Years (health footprint), with a creation of 30 job positions in the waste management sector (occupational benefits). [Display omitted] • A procedure consisting of five phases was developed using two methodologies. • One methodology estimates the composition analysis of the unsorted residual waste. • Another methodology used a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. • Two indicators for the environment, two for the society and two for the economy. • The paper and cardboard 'urban mine' of Naples was greater than 16 million of euro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-hazard analysis (seismic, landslide, flood) is conducted to verify the impact on the road network. The ENEA CIPCast platform is an innovative Decision Support System (DSS) that is used to implement the analyses using GIS. Using analytical and geoprocessing tools, the hazards were assessed and mapped. The overlapping of different geospatial layers allowed the implementation of a specific hazard map for the road network. Multi-hazard values were obtained using an appropriate matrix of single values, which were classified, and then summarized into four classes of values. The analyses were conducted at the regional (Campania region), provincial (Metropolitan City of Naples), and local scales (island of Ischia and municipality of Casamicciola Terme). In particular, the landslide event that struck Ischia island on 26 November 2022 and the municipality of Casamicciola Terme was considered as a case study to determine the impact on the road network, infrastructures, buildings, and jeopardizing inter-municipal connections. The results are mainly visualized through map processing and statistical summaries of the data. The management of the landslide debris, which can contain a multitude of fractions (waste, biomass and vegetation, sludge, soil, and rocks transported downstream by water), was also explored. This is a frontier issue for which international manuals and guidelines, as well as national and emergency acts, have been examined. A specific protocol for the sustainable management of the debris generated by floods and landslides is needed, and discussed in the present paper, to overcome emergencies after catastrophic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal camera use is becoming ever more widespread in volcanic and environmental research and monitoring activities. Depending on the scope of an investigation and on the type of thermal camera used, different software for thermal infrared (IR) images analysis is employed. The Osservatorio Vesuviano Sezione in Napoli of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV-OV) processes the images acquired during thermal monitoring activities acquired in the Neapolitan areas (Vesuvio, Ischia and Campi Flegrei) with different FLIR software that returns for each image, or for each selected area within the image, a series of parameters (maximum temperature, average temperature, standard deviation, etc.). An operator selects the area of interest and later "manually" inserts the relevant parameters in Excel sheets to generate graphs. Such a tedious, time- and resource-consuming procedure gave reason to implement a software able to automatically analyze sets of thermal images taken with a handheld thermal camera without any manual action. This paper describes the method and the software implemented to "automate" and refine the extrapolation process and the analysis of the relevant information. The employed method clusters thermal images by applying K-MEANS and DBSCAN techniques. After clustering a series of images, the software displays the necessary statistics to highlight possible fluctuations in temperature values. The software, "StaTistical Analysis clusteRed ThErmal Data" (STARTED), is already available. Although it has been developed mostly to support monitoring of the volcanoes in Campania, it is quite versatile and can be used for any activity that implies thermal data analysis. In this paper, we describe the workflow and the dataset used to develop the software, as well as the first result obtained from it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes an ongoing research project granted by the University of Naples Federico II (2017–2020) concerning masonry domes considered as visual poles in the historic urban landscape and as a constructively vulnerable built heritage. Studies focus on Renaissance domes in Campania region (Naples included) and combine established strategies with innovative ones for the knowledge of visible/invisible parts. Verticals and curved structures are investigated with a unitary approach, together with the pre-reinforcements placed during the construction phases or for later strengthening. These topics deal with issues crucial for the domes' study: firstly, the overlapping of inner and outer surfaces that hide structural elements and do not enable their comprehension. In addition, we must consider the recurring difficult inspection or inaccessibility due to the big dimensions and heights from the ground. All these factors, together with the fact that decorated surfaces are a limit for the traditional diagnosis, require new investigation strategies – remote and by non-destructive methods – so as to document the invisible both for emerging and for underground parts. A model for knowledge characterized by the interlacement of 'humanistic' interpretation and bottom-up/bottom-down surveys is discussed. The understanding of what is invisible to direct inspection is considered a stimulating frontier for proposing innovative dissemination tools for the comprehension of cultural heritage, able to reach new communicative horizons related to the construction of complex forms of architecture. The transposition of the research outcomes into digital "accessible" data aims at having impacts for sharing a broader cultural awareness of the built heritage historical constructive significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Campania (southern Italy), the widespread presence of anthropogenic cavities in the subsoil of the Neapolitan and Caserta provinces is well known. In these towns, the underground quarrying activities were performed for centuries to extract volcanic tuffs for buildings. The urban developments have sealed many signals of the presence of cavities and their real extent is almost unknown, thus representing a geological hazard and contributing to the subsoil instability of many places. This contribution will show the main cavity typologies recognized across an area north of Naples according to the geological characteristics of the subsoil. The main aim of the study is the cataloging of the cavities and the analysis of the city subsoil as their presence may easily trigger the collapse of the shallow or deeper soils. Moreover, the recognition and sustainable reuse of cavities contributes to enhancing the cultural and touristic promotion of a territory. In this study, a database framework was elaborated that includes all the possible architectural, geological and geotechnical elements of the cavities. Data were managed in a GIS environment in order to provide a useful tool for monitoring and managing the cavities for risk mitigation and tourism enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steep slopes covered by loose unsaturated pyroclastic deposits widely dispersed in Campania, Southern Italy, are often subjected to shallow landslides that turn into fast debris flows causing a large amount of damage and many casualties, triggered by heavy and persistent precipitation. The slope of Cervinara, located around 40 km northeast of Naples, was involved in a destructive flowslide between 15 and 16 December 1999, triggered by a rain event of 325 mm in 48 h. Hydrometeorological monitoring activities have been carried out near the landslide scarp of 1999 since 2017 to assess the water balance and to identify major hydrological processes involving the cover and the shallow groundwater system developing in the upper part of the underlying limestone fractured bedrock. Since 1 December 2022, a remotely accessible low-cost network has been installed to expand the field hydrological monitoring. The use of a network of low-cost capacitive sensors, communicating within the domain of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, aiming at dispersed monitoring of soil moisture, has been tested. Specifically, the tested prototype network allows measurements of the soil water content at two different points, communicating through a Wi-Fi-based IoT system using ESP32 boards. The ThingSpeakTM IoT platform has been used for remote field data visualization. Based on the obtained results, the prototype of this IoT-based low-cost network shows the potential to expand the amount of hydrological data, suitable for setting up early warning systems in landslide-prone areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zygomaticomaxillary complex and isolated orbital walls fractures are one of the most common fractures of the midface, often presenting orbital symptoms and complications. Our study was born with the aim of understanding the trend in the incidence of orbital presurgical symptoms, specifically diplopia, enophthalmos and exophthalmos, in the Campania Region in southern Italy. We conducted a retrospective, monocentric observational study at the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit of the Federico II University Hospital of Naples, enrolling 402 patients who reported a fracture of the zygomaticomaxillary complex and orbital floor region from 15 June 2021 to 15 June 2022. Patients were evaluated by age, gender, etiology, type of fracture, preoperative orbital side effects and symptoms. Pre-surgical side effects were studied, and 16% of patients (n = 66) developed diplopia. Diplopia was most common in patients previously operated on for orbital wall fractures (100%), and least common in patients who reported trauma after interpersonal violence (15%) and road traffic accidents (11%). Exophthalmos appeared only in 1% (six cases); whereas it did not appear in 99% (396 cases). Enophthalmos was present in 4% (sixteen cases), most commonly in interpersonal violence cases (two cases). The frequency of orbital complications in patients with zygomaticomaxillary complex and isolated orbital walls fractures suggests how diplopia remains the most common pre-surgical orbital side effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lema bilineata (Germar) is an alien invasive leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) first recorded in Europe in the summer of 2017 in the province of Naples (Campania, Italy). It occurs on both cultivated plants (Nicotiana tabacum) and weeds (Salpichroa origanifolia and Datura spp.). Information on morphological characters, color variation and molecular data are deficient for L. bilineata, as is the case for most Lema species. These data could be useful to discriminate between this species and the closely related Lema daturaphila Kogan & Goeden, which has the same potential to become an alien invasive species. In this paper, color variation in adults and the morphology of the aedeagi and spermathecae of the two species are documented and compared, including micrographic images. Additional data on the current distribution of L. bilineata in Campania is also provided. The cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcoding region of both Italian and South African specimens of L. bilineata, as well as South African specimens of L. daturaphila, was sequenced. A preliminary phylogenetic tree is provided, based on the sequences available for Lema species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides updated information on the prevalence and co-infections caused by genital microorganisms and pathogens: Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma parvum, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Gardnerella vaginalis, by retrospectively analyzing a cohort of patients living in the Naples metropolitan area, Campania region, Southern Italy. To investigate the genital infections prevalence in clinical specimens (vaginal/endocervical swabs and urines) collected from infertile asymptomatic women and men from November 2018 to December 2020, we used a multiplex real-time PCR assay. Of the 717 specimens collected, 302 (42.1%) resulted positive for at least one of the targets named above. Statistically significant differences in genital prevalence of selected microorganisms were detected in both women (62.91%) and men (37.08%). G. vaginalis and U. parvum represented the most common findings with an 80.2% and 16.9% prevalence in vaginal/endocervical swabs and first-voided urines, respectively. Prevalence of multiple infections was 18.18% and 8.19% in women and men, respectively. The most frequent association detected was the co-infection of G. vaginalis and U. parvum with 60% prevalence. Our epidemiological analysis suggests different infection patterns between genders, highlighting the need to implement a preventative screening strategy of genital infections to reduce the complications on reproductive organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of hyaluronic acid (HA) injectable fillers has become increasingly widespread in facial recontouring and rejuvenation. We report our experiences to emphasize the role of HA fillers as tools beyond aesthetic treatments in cases of post-surgical facial sequelae. HA fillers are generally used for aesthetic rejuvenation, but one potential new horizon could be their application in trauma, reconstructive, and craniofacial surgery. This study was conducted retrospectively, evaluating medical reports of patients treated at the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, for lip incompetence, trauma, oncological, reconstructive, and craniosynostosis surgery sequelae. Visual analog scale (VAS) evaluation was performed to assess patient satisfaction. No major complications (i.e., impending necrosis or visual loss) were reported. Bruising and swelling was reported for 48 h after lip injection. At the immediate VAS evaluation, 67% of the patients were "extremely satisfied" and 33% "satisfied". In those 33%, VAS scores changed to "extremely satisfied" at 6–9 weeks and 3–6 months of VAS evaluation (contextually to improvement in tissue flexibility, elasticity, and aesthetic appearance). Results indicate that this minimally invasive approach achieves a high level of aesthetic enhancement, improving patient satisfaction. The concept of HA filler applications could be a frontier that may be applicable to other areas of reconstructive facial plastic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has created unique challenges to healthcare systems throughout the world. Ensuring subjects' safety is mandatory especially in oncology, in consideration of cancer patients' particular frailty. We examined the proportion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgM and/or IgG positive subjects in three different groups from Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale" in Naples (Campania region, Italy): cancer patients treated with Innovative Immunotherapy (Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, ICIs), cancer patients undergoing standard Chemotherapies (CHTs) and healthcare providers. 9 out of 287 (3.1%) ICIs patients resulted positive, with a significant lower percentage in respect to CHTs patients (39 positive subjects out of 598, 6.5%) (p = 0.04). There was no statistically significant difference between ICIs cohort and healthcare providers, 48 out of 1050 resulting positive (4.6%). Performing a Propensity Score Matching based on gender and tumor stage, the effect of treatment on seropositivity was analyzed through a regression logistic model and the ICIs treatment resulted to be the only protective factor significantly (p = 0.03) associated with positivity (odds ratio-OR: 0.41; 95% confidence interval-CI 0.18-0.91). According to these preliminary data, ICIs would appear to be a protective factor against the onset of COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi are among the biotic agents that can cause deterioration of building stones and cultural heritage. The most common methods used to control fungal spread and growth are based on chemical pesticides. However, the massive use of these synthetic chemicals produces heavy environmental pollution and risk to human and animal health. Furthermore, their use is time dependent and relies on the repetition of treatments, which increases the possibility of altering building stones and culture heritage through environmental contamination. One alternative is the use of natural products with high antifungal activity, which can result in reduced toxicity and deterioration of archeological remains. Recently, three fungal strains, namely Aspergillus niger, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum, were isolated as damaging agents from the external tuff wall of the Roman remains "Villa of Poppea" in Oplontis, Naples, Italy. In this manuscript, three selected fungal metabolites, namely cyclopaldic acid, cavoxin and epi-epoformin, produced by fungi pathogenic for forest plants, were evaluated as potential antifungal compounds against the above fungi. Cavoxin and epi-epoformin showed antifungal activity against Asperigillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum, while cyclopaldic acid showed no activity when tested on the three fungi. The same antifungal activity was observed in vitro experiments on infected stones of the Neapolitan yellow tuff (NYT), a volcanic lithotype widely diffused in the archeological sites of Campania, Italy. This study represents a first step in the use of these two fungal metabolites to allow better preservation of artworks and to guarantee the conditions suitable for their conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic diversity of Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) circulating in the Campania Region in years 2015–2018 was investigated through the monitoring of sentinel bivalve shellfish and water matrices. Overall, 463 water samples (71 sewage samples, 353 coastal discharge waters, and 39 seawaters samples), and 746 bivalve shellfish samples were analyzed. Positivity for HAV was detected in 20/71 sewage samples, 14/353 coastal discharge waters, 5/39 seawaters, and 102/746 bivalve shellfish. Sixty-one of the positive samples were successfully sequenced and were characterized as genotype IA (n = 50) and IB (n = 11). The prevalent strain circulating in 2015 in both bivalves and waters was the IA strain responsible for the outbreak occurring around the same time in the Naples area. This variant was no longer identified in subsequent years (2017–2018) when, instead, appeared two of the IA variants of the multistate outbreak affecting men who have sex with men (MSM), VRD_521_2016, and RIVM-HAV16–090, with the former prevailing in both shellfish and water environments. HAV IB isolates were detected over the years in shellfish and in water matrices, but not in clinical samples, suggesting that this genotype had been circulating silently. An integrated surveillance system (environment/food/clinical cases) can be a useful tool to monitor changes in viral variants in the population, as well as an early warning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this retrospective case series was to discuss indications, surgical outcomes, and donor site morbidity in the use of superficial temporal artery perforator (STAP) flaps in intra-oral or extra-oral facial reconstruction. This study involved 9 patients treated with a STAP flap at the Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit of the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples. A STAP flap was used alone or in combination with other local flaps, for the coverage of facial soft tissue defects, after the resection of craniofacial malignant tumors (n = 7) or as a salvage flap, in partial or total microvascular flap loss (n = 2). The STAP flap was proven to be a valuable surgical option despite it not being frequently used in facial soft tissue reconstruction nor was it chosen as the first surgical option in patients under 70 year's old. Donor site morbidity is one of the major reasons why this flap is uncommon. Appropriate patient selection, surgical plan, and post-surgical touch-ups should be performed in order to reduce donor site scar morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many mountainous areas in Campania, Southern Italy, are characterized by steep slopes covered by loose unsaturated pyroclastic deposits laying upon fractured limestone bedrock. The soil covers are mainly constituted by layers of ashes and pumices. Large and intense rainfall events trigger shallow landslides, often turning into debris flows that cause huge damage and casualties. The slope of Cervinara, around 40 km Northeast of Naples, was involved in a catastrophic flowslide on 16 December 1999, triggered by a rainstorm of 325 mm in 48 h. To capture the main effects of precipitation on the slope stability, hydro-meteorological monitoring activities have been carried out at the slope to assess the water balance for three years (2017–2020). The field monitoring data allowed the identification of the complex hydrological processes involving the unsaturated pyroclastic soil and the shallow groundwater system developing in the limestone bedrock, which control the conditions that potentially predispose the slope to landslide triggering. Specifically, late autumn has been identified as the potentially most critical period, when slope drainage processes are not yet effective, and soil covers already receive large amounts of precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the 4th and 5th of March 2005, about 100 rainfall-induced landslides occurred along volcanic slopes of Camaldoli Hill in Naples, Italy. These started as soil slips in the upper substratum of incoherent and welded volcaniclastic deposits, then evolved downslope according to debris avalanche and debris flow mechanisms. This specific case of slope instability on complex volcaniclastic deposits remains poorly characterized and understood, although similar shallow landsliding phenomena have largely been studied in other peri-volcanic areas of the Campania region underlain by carbonate bedrock. Considering the landslide hazard in this urbanized area, this study focused on quantitatively advancing the understanding of the predisposing factors and hydrological conditions contributing to the initial landslide triggering. Borehole drilling, trial pits, dynamic penetrometer tests, topographic surveys, and infiltration tests were conducted on a slope sector of Camaldoli Hill to develop a geological framework model. Undisturbed soil samples were collected for laboratory testing to further characterize hydraulic and geotechnical properties of the soil units identified. In situ soil pressure head monitoring probes were also installed. A numerical model of two-dimensional variably saturated subsurface water flow was parameterized for the monitored hillslope using field and laboratory data. Based on the observed soil pressure head dynamics, the model was calibrated by adjusting the evapotranspiration parameters. This physically based hydrologic model was combined with an infinite-slope stability analysis to reconstruct the critical unsaturated/saturated conditions leading to slope failure. This coupled hydromechanical numerical model was then used to determine intensity–duration (I-D) thresholds for landslide initiation over a range of plausible rainfall intensities and topographic slope angles for the region. The proposed approach can be conceived as a practicable method for defining a warning criterion in urbanized areas threatened by rainfall-induced shallow landslides, given the unavailability of a consistent inventory of past landslide events that prevents a rigorous empirical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]