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Postfazione. (Eco)Musei, antropologia culturale e ricerca etnografica: una relazione ‘aperta’
No full textImpact of Aggregate-Associated Carbon on Soil Mechanical Properties: Stability and Compaction Indices in Pomegranate Orchards of Different Ages
Get PDFThe relationships between soil aggregates, aggregate-associated carbon (C), and soil compaction indices in pomegranate orchards of varying ages (0–30 years) in Assiut, Egypt, were investigated. Soil bulk density (Bd) and organic carbon (OC) content increased with orchard age in both the surface (0.00–0.20 m) and subsurface (0.20–0.40 m) layers 0.20–0.40 m). The percentage of macroaggregates (R0.25) and their OC content in the aggregate fraction > 0.250 mm increased as the pomegranate orchard ages increased in the surface layer (0.00–0.20 m). Older pomegranate orchards show improved soil structure, indicated by higher mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD), alongside reduced fractal dimension (D) and erodibility (K). As orchard ages increased, maximum bulk density (BMax) decreased due to an increase in OC, while the degree of compactness (DC) increased, reaching a maximum at both soil layers for the 30 Y orchards. Soil organic carbon and aggregate-associated C significantly influenced BMax, which led to reducing the soil compaction risk. Multivariate analyses identified the >2 mm aggregate fraction as the most critical factor influencing the DC, soil compaction, and K indices in pomegranate orchards. The OC content in the >2 mm aggregates negatively correlated with BMax, DC, and K but was positively associated with MWD and GMD. Moreover, DC and Bd decreased with higher proportions of >2 mm aggregates, whereas DC increased with a higher fraction of 2–0.250 mm aggregation. These findings highlight the role of aggregate size fractions and their associated C in enhancing soil structure stability, mitigating compaction, and reducing erosion risks in pomegranate orchards
La nuova taxis del De materia medica di Dioscoride: tra accuratezza scientifica e sapere popolare
No full textPhytochemical Composition and Wound Healing Properties of Echinacea angustifolia DC. Root Hydroalcoholic Extract
Get PDFThe therapeutic potential of natural products has led to the exploitation of phytocomplexes for treating various skin conditions, including wounds. Echinacea angustifolia DC. has traditionally been used for wound healing, burns, and other ailments. In this study, dried roots of E. angustifolia were extracted using a hydroalcoholic solution, and the phytochemical composition was analyzed through HPLC-DAD. The polyphenol and polysaccharide content, along with in vitro antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase properties, were evaluated. The biological effect of E. angustifolia extract was evaluated on the 3T3-L1 cell line. HPLC-DAD analysis confirmed the presence of several polyphenols, particularly caffeic acid derivatives, with echinacoside as the predominant compound, exhibiting strong antioxidant properties. The extract demonstrated no cytotoxic effect on 3T3-L1 cells, and it showed a protective effect by increasing the migration process in an in vitro scratch wound healing test, together with echinacoside and allantoin, which were used as references. Furthermore, the extract reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and promoted that of proteins that accelerate wound closure, such as TGF-β1. The present study demonstrates the potential wound healing properties and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of E. angustifolia root hydroalcoholic extract, giving a scientific rationale for its traditional use
Continuous long-term analysis on earthquake-related Total Electron Content (TEC) signals across the Mediterranean region
No full textPreliminary Test of Source Parameters of Mwp6 Italian Earthquakes: Revisiting Kinematic Function Method
Get PDFMacroseismic intensity data are the only source of information for historical earthquakes; it is therefore necessary to devise methods that allow us to retrieve as many source parameters as possible on the basis of these data. We present the inversion of macroseismic data as a first validation of an improved version of the kinematic function, KF. Following the previous results of some earthquakes on Italian territory and several validations by Californian events provided with instrumental solutions, we have now simplified the KF by reducing some degrees of freedom of the parameters and rearranging the code for parallel calculation. This approach will allow for a more extensive application of the KF technique. We present the inversion of the macroseismic intensity pattern of the Mwp6 earthquake of 27 March 1928 (8:32 GMT), which occurred in Northeastern Italy (Carnia), and we retrieved source parameters that are compatible with the solutions of other authors who independently treat instrumental data. The 1928 event is located a few tens of kilometers west of the more destructive Mw6.5 of 6 May 1976 and northeast of the subsequent earthquake Mwp6.1 of 18 October 1936. The inversion was performed as a blind test, without prior knowledge for fault plane solutions and tectonic information; it resulted in a minimum variance model with a strike of 62°, a dip of 10°, and a rake of 101°. This solution is not consistent with the entire tectonic framework of the eastern Southalpine chain, but it is in agreement with the But-Chiarsò line. This result encourages us to test further improvements to the KF method and to treat other cases from the Italian macroseismic catalog
Hydrolytic Enzymes in the Secretome of the Mushrooms P. eryngii and P. ostreatus: A Comparison Between the Two Species
Get PDFThe fungi belonging to the genus Pleurotus can be cultivated in different
substrates and represent excellent producers of several extracellular enzymes. In this
study, we analyzed eleven hydrolytic enzymes of the P. eryngii and P. ostreatus secretomes, which were collected at three different growth stages after 23 days (mycelial colonization of about 50% of the substrate), 34 days (100% colonization of the substrate) and 50 days (after the first flush). Mushrooms were axenically cultivated on the same substrate. The results demonstrate that proteases, lipases, amylases, α-glucosidase, cellulases (endoglucanase, β-cellobiohydrolase and β-glucosidase) and hemicellulase (xylosidase,
glucuronidase, arabinosidase and mannosidase) activities were higher in the secretomes from P. eryngii than those from P. ostreatus. Time course analysis revealed for both species a similar enzymatic activity profile, in which in the early stages of mycelium development, both species use starch as the main carbon source. Protease and lipase activities increased and remained constant during the subsequent formation of fruiting bodies, whereas cellulase and hemicellulase activities decreased after the complete mycelial colonization of the substrate. The zymographic analysis suggested the presence in the secretomes of proteolytic activities belonging to different classes. In conclusion,
both mushroom species released into the secretomes a broad spectrum of hydrolytic enzymes potentially useful in various biotechnological fields
An open-source machine learning-based methodological approach for processing high resolution UAS LiDAR data in archaeological contexts: A case study from Epirus, Greece.
No full textThis study shows and discusses an innovative approach devised for archaeological
feature detection using unmanned aerial system (UAS) LiDAR and an opensource
probabilistic machine learning framework. The methodology employs a
Random Forest classification algorithm within CloudCompare’s 3DMASC plugin
to analyse dense LiDAR point clouds. The main steps include classifier training,
hyperparameter adjustment and point cloud segmentation to produce digital terrain
models (DTM), digital feature models (DFM) and digital surface models (DSM).
Experimenting different parameters led to the determination of the best set to be
employed for the training model. Subsequent data enhancement with the Relief Visualisation
Toolbox (RVT) refines the visibility of archaeological features, particularly
within complex and heavily vegetated terrain. The use case selected to validate
this approach is the site of Kastrí-Pandosia in Epirus (Greece), which is particularly
suitable for LiDAR analysis by UAS. This approach significantly improves archaeological
detection and interpretation, revealing previously inaccessible or obscured
microtopographic and structural features. The results highlight the site’s defensive
walls, terracing and potential anthropogenic routes, underlining the methodology’s
effectiveness in detecting archaeological landscapes at multiple levels. This study
emphasises the utility of accessible and open-source solutions for the identification
of archaeological features, promoting cost-effective methods to improve the documentation
of sites in remote or difficult locations
Switch-Off Policy in Flow Lines with Dynamic Fractional Task Assignation
No full textSwitch-off policies are widely used in manufacturing to reduce energy consumption during machine idle times without interfering with production. However, they can negatively impact productivity and customer performance. This study introduces a method that integrates switch-off policies with the dynamic allocation of fractional tasks between adjacent stations in a production line. Simulation models were developed to assess performance against two benchmark scenarios: “always on” and “no fractional tasks”. Results show that the proposed approach significantly reduces energy consumption while mitigating the adverse effects on customer performance. The integration of real-time data processing and adaptive task allocation maintains production efficiency under fluctuating demand and operational disturbances, supporting more sustainable manufacturing operations