The relevant pressure exerted on ports following the advent of globalization and containerization has contributed to transform the role of such intermodal transport facilities, increasing their complexity with reference to both performed activities and involved actors. The potential of solid hinterland connections in enhancing port competitiveness has sustained the larger embracement of the railway mode, which has proved to be a financially and environmentally sustainable solution, especially on long hauls. However, the limited residual capacity currently characterizing several railway network and nodes may threaten the accommodation of additional future traffic volumes and, thus, it requires the adoption of a coordinated strategy to more efficiently manage existing railway infrastructures, other than the realization of some new ones. In this regard, an integrated methodology has been developed to specifically model, simulate and optimize port railway processes, as part of a more complex system, imposing the maximization of capacity with the concurrent minimization of used shunting locomotives, to varying of infrastructural and operational conditions. This combination of techniques has been applied to the case study of the Port of Trieste, Italy, showing the greater influence of tracks availability over changes in the operational conditions, in terms of a shorter duration of specific administrative tasks and the employment of more shunting locomotives.

Sailing sports are experiencing a period of radical innovations. Traditional displacing monohulls have always been the reference for yachting in the past, but the continuous quest for performances has generated many variations and many convergences with surprising results. On the aerodynamic side conventional soft sails have been sometime replaced by rigid wings, but the biggest innovation has been the use of traction kites as a propulsion device. On the hydrodynamic side we have seen the rapid growth of hydrofoils, an old concept that is having a rebirth. Probably the most remarkable expression of innovation and integration between concepts having different roots is the hydrofoil kite-board, point of encounter of the traditional wave surfing, the traction kite innovation and the hydrofoil technology. Hydrofoil kite-board can reach speeds up to 3 times the wind speed, are at least one order of magnitude cheaper than any boat with comparable performances, easy to manage and races are spectacular. Hydrofoil are object of investigation trying to further improve performances as well as to increase the stability and the “sailability". In the following we will present a concept that extends the range of efficiency of the foil through a completely passive morphing of the wing.

Background: Standardized methods for testing Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE) of tissues and devices are lacking and few studies are available on aerosolizing, sampling and assessing infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in controlled laboratory settings. NanoAg-coated endonasal filters appear a promising aid for lowering viable virus inhalation in both adult and younger populations (e.g., adolescents). Objective: to provide an adequate method for testing SARS-CoV-2 bioaerosol VFE of bio-gel Ag nanoparticles endonasal filters, by a model system, assessing residual infectivity as cytopathic effect and viral proliferation on in vitro cell cultures. Methods: A SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission chamber fed by a BLAM aerosol generator produces challenges (from very high viral loads (10⁵ PFU/mL) to lower ones) for endonasal filters positioned in a Y shape sampling port connected to a Biosampler. An aerosol generator, chamber and sampler are contained in a class II cabinet in a BSL3 facility. Residual infectivity is assessed from aliquots of liquid collecting bioaerosol, sampled without and with endonasal filters. Cytopathic effect as plaque formation and viral proliferation assessed by qRT-PCR on Vero E6 cells are determined up to 7 days post inoculum. Results: Each experimental setting is replicated three times and basic statistics are calculated. Efficiency of aerosolization is determined as difference between viral load in the nebulizer and in the Biosampler at the first day of experiment. Efficiency of virus filtration is calculated as RNA viral load ratio in collected bioaerosol with and without endonasal filters at the day of the experiment. Presence of infectious virus is assessed by plaque forming unit assay and RNA viral load variations. Conclusions: A procedure and apparatus for assessing SARS-CoV-2 VFE for endonasal filters is proposed. The apparatus can be implemented for more sophisticated studies on contaminated aerosols.