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The Wind Atlas of Italy, first developed in 2002, was refined by ERSE (former CESI RICERCA S.p.A.) in 2006, when it was also enlarged to offshore areas up to 40 km from the coastline. It displays maps of annual average wind speed (m/s) and specific energy production (MWh/MW) up to 100 m above ground or sea. This Atlas is published in an interactive version (named ATLAEOLICO). The Italian Wind Atlas is based on maps calculated using the WINDS model developed by the Department of Physics of the University of Genoa and has then been fine-tuned by comparison with measuring data from over 400 stations scattered all over Italy. Concerning offshore areas, the calibration of maps resulted more difficult because of the lack of direct measurements. The resulting uncertainty of wind maps over offshore areas has been estimated from a minimum of 2 m/s to a maximum of more than 3 m/s, which results in an uncertainty of no less than 1000 MWh/MW in specific energy production, too high for reliable evaluation of energy production. To reduce this uncertainty, a new wind measuring station has recently been installed at Pianosa, a small uninhabited and flattish island located in the Adriatic Sea off the Gargano promontory, one of the offshore areas with higher discordance of wind speed values among the various maps published so far. This island could also be taken as representative of the transition from the southern zone with better resources to the less promising northern part of the Adriatic Sea. This paper presents the results of the first eight months of measurements at this station. These results have been analyzed by commercial codes for wind resource assessment and then compared with available information on wind resources in the same area, mostly measurements from satellite and coastal stations, and other published wind atlases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty-one patients with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) were studied by means of videofluoroscopy in order to evaluate the abnormalities in the oropharyngeal and esophageal phases of deglutition and to correlate the radiological patterns with the clinical features of the disease. Thirteen patients (25.5%) exhibited swallowing disorders such as oral leakage, retention, penetration, mild or moderate aspiration and abnormal upper esophageal sphincter behavior. These dysfunctions were more evident in patients with esophageal motility abnormalities. A normal radiological pattern in the esophagus was not associated with swallowing alterations. Remarkably, patients with oral-pharyngeal disorders had a higher incidence of lung diseases. Forty-five patients (88%) exhibited disorders of the esophageal phase of deglutition, such as mild or severe motility abnormalities or hiatal hernia, gastro-esophageal reflux, reflux esophagitis, and stricture. Radiological findings in the esophagus can be abnormal in the early stages of the disease. On the other hand, the radiological pattern of esophageal motility can be occasionally negative in advanced or extensive disease. This indicates a discrepancy between clinical symptoms and radiological picture of the esophagus. The radiological examination of the oral-pharyngeal and esophageal phases of deglutition is important in patients with scleroderma in order to evaluate visceral involvement, motility disorders, and risk of aspiration. Such radiological information can be useful in preventing esophagitis and pulmonary complications.

Swallowing disorders due to oro-pharyngo-laryngeal cancer, or due to the consequences of surgical resection and radiotherapy, should be accurately evaluated to manage properly both nutritional therapy and dysphagia rehabilitation techniques. The site, size, and local spread of such tumors and, especially, the nature and extent of surgical resection and reconstruction, are important factors which are closely related to the functional disorders of deglutition. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate video-fluoroscopy capability to evaluate the incidence, type, and severity of such functional disorders. For this purpose we studied by means of dynamic radiology 23 patients with oral cancer and 33 patients with pharyngeal-laryngeal cancer, most of them after surgical and/or radiological treatment. Eighty-four per cent of the patients had swallowing disorders such as poor oral processing (25%), retention of the bolus in the pharynx (41%), penetration (41%) or aspiration (37%) of the bolus in the airway, dysmotility of upper esophageal sphincter (9%), and structural lesions (61%). The association of these functional disorders was closely related to the pathological background of each patient. In conclusion, a dynamic radiological study is recommended for both pre and postoperative evaluation of these patients, to choose the appropriate nutritional therapy and dysphagia rehabilitation technique.

An anatomical study of uterine malformations has become quite frequent in obstetrics and gynaecology because of the increasing use of corrective surgery. More than 100 cases were reviewed and the authors discuss some examples in order to present all kinds of uterine malformations which can be detected by ultrasound together with hysterosalpingography. A comparison of the diagnostic data obtained with the two methods shows US to be able to solve several cases. Hysterosalpingography is mandatory in female infertility when there is a need for examining Fallopian tube patency in addition to the morphological characteristics of the uterine cavity. The results obtained with the two methods in the study of uterine malformations allow the formulation of a diagnostic protocol concerning the study of infertile women. First of all, US must be performed, in order to exclude some causes of ovarian infertility and major uterine malformations. Hysterosalpingography should be performed when US does not prove to be totally reliable.