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Pisa romana e il fiume Auser: un’economia circolare
No full textRecent archaeological investigations related to the ‘Pisa Progetto Suburbio’ have made it possible to highlight the close relationship between the city and the Arno and Auser rivers. Nearby the famous San Rossore’s Roman ships site, at the Area Scheibler, were discovered shipyards and civil navalia, in use between the Augustan age until the 4th century AD. However, these infrastructures required works to consolidate the riverbank that was carried on creating artificial soils through a series of 'pre-constructive' interventions, helping to compose adequate sub-foundations by means of a correct choice of building techniques and materials. The city itself, with the view to a circular economy, supplied the materials for this works crucial for its economy, such as sand dredged from the river, stones quarried at nearby Monte Pisano and rubble from the demolition or renovation of old buildings (rudera)
Exploring Gelatin‐A and Mouse Proline‐Rich Protein 5 as Probes for Wine Polyphenol Analysis by Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring
No full textPolyphenols are significant compounds that impact the winemaking process, influencing key attributes such as wine quality, color, astringency, bitterness, and chemical stability. Traditionally, the wine polyphenolic content is assessed through conventional analytical methods, which are costly and time-consuming. Thus, developing novel strategies to overcome these limitations is highly desirable. Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring (QCM-D) is an electromechanical sensor that has gained broad recognition as a fast, reliable, and label-free detection tool. The QCM-D is employed to investigate Gelatin Type A (Gel-A) and Mouse Proline-Rich Protein 5 (MP5) as probes for analyzing polyphenols in red wines. The probes have been successfully immobilized on the sensor surface, yielding molecular densities of 2.1 × 1014 and 5.1 × 1012 molecules cm−2 for MP5 and Gel-A, respectively. Both probes have shown promising performance in the analysis of polyphenols in wine, with both changes in the sensor's resonance frequency and dissipation with all tested samples. Notably, using MP5, a linear response of the dissipation has been observed with both the total polyphenol and hydroxybenzoic acid concentrations. These results indicate strong potential for developing a stand-alone sensor platform to directly monitor polyphenols during the winemaking process
A demonstration of slowed electron E×B drift for PTOLEMY
No full textTo resolve the effective neutrino mass mβ with an energy resolution of 50 meV, the PTOLEMY experiment has proposed a novel transverse electromagnetic filtering process. Substantially reducing the kinetic energy of tritium β-decay electrons by counteracting motion from E×B and ∇B drift, the PTOLEMY filter requires an input of emitted electron kinematic information to generate a tailored, suitable electric field for each candidate. The collaboration proposes to extract these quantities by using antennae to observe the relativistic frequency shift of emitted cyclotron radiation as an electron transits by E×B drift through a uniform magnetic field region preceding the filter. Electrons must be contained within this region long enough such that an adequate integrated radiated power signal is received to accurately estimate these kinematics. This necessitates a controlled, slowed drift speed. This paper presents the experimental design to vary E×B drift speed of 14C β-decay electrons using a custom electrode field cage situated between the pole faces of an electromagnet. Matching our results with high-fidelity simulation, we deduce a capacity to increase particle time of flight by a factor of 5 in the field cage's slow drift region. Limited only by the dimensions of our system, we assert drift speed can be arbitrarily slowed to meet the needs of PTOLEMY's future detector. Actualizing such a system is a crucial milestone in developing the detector, enabling future cyclotron radiation measurements, filter implementation, and source injection
The Economic Feasibility of Sustainable and Healthy Diets: A Price-Based Analysis in Italy
No full textThis study focuses on the economic dimension of food poverty and aims to develop a replicable methodology for estimating the cost of adhering to Healthy and Sustainable Diet (HSD) patterns in Italy. Using a novel dataset built through web scraping from the Osservatorio Prezzi e Tariffe, we estimate diet costs across different population groups in line with national nutritional guidelines. The dataset provides detailed price information for key food categories across Italian provinces, enabling an assessment of local disparities in food affordability. To address missing data, we apply an imputation strategy that leverages spatial and temporal correlations. Results reveal substantial variation in HSD costs across provinces, with important implications for food poverty and social inequality. This work contributes to the broader discussion on the economic accessibility of sustainable diets and offers a methodological framework for estimating food costs using publicly available data. The findings have practical relevance for policymakers seeking to enhance access to nutritious and environmentally sustainable food options
Current trends in imaging for otosclerosis and the potential role of photon-counting computed tomography
No full textOtosclerosis is a primary otodystrophy that impacts the osseous architecture of the otic capsule within the temporal bone, resulting in progressive hearing loss. High-resolution computed tomog-raphy (HRCT) has traditionally been the gold standard imaging modality in otosclerosis, providing critical information in both diagnosis and surgical planning. However, its sensitivity varies widely. Recent advancements in imaging technology, such as ultra-high-resolution CT (UHRCT), provide higher spatial resolution and lower doses of radiation but, especially if based on cone beam CT (CBCT), face challenges in standardising bone density and are often limited by beam-hardening artefacts in the presence of metallic prostheses. Photon-counting detector CT (PCDCT) represents a promising UHRCT technology that directly converts photons into electrical signals, enhancing dose efficiency and image quality while reducing beam-hardening artefacts. Initial findings seem to indicate that PCDCT offers superior visualisation of otosclerotic foci and prosthesis positioning compared to traditional HRCT. Furthermore, PCDCT allows for less radiation exposure. This review examines the roles that HRCT and UHRCT, based both on CBCT and PCDCT, as well as magnetic resonance imaging, currently have in the imaging evaluation of otosclerosis. The findings highlight that while HRCT remains the standard, UHRCT and particularly PCDCT significantly improve the assessment capabilities, overcoming many limitations of previous technologies. Incorporating PCDCT imaging into routine clinical practice could lead to more precise diagnosis of otosclerosis, better surgical planning, and improved patient outcomes, ultimately granting more tailored and effective treatment strategies for otosclerosis, in line with the goals of precision medicine to optimise patient care
Re-enacting a digital environment tutoring episode: New insights
No full textThis paper focuses on an episode in which two 10th-grade low-achieving students are learning about unknowns and equations with a tutor in a dynamic digital environment. We initially conducted a commognitive analysis, which provided insight into the students’ emerging mathematical discourses.
To address issues of embodied validity, we then used the method of re-enactment, which enabled us to understand techno-affective aspects of the interactions in the episode
Machine Learning Ensemble Strategy for HTC Reactor Modelling Under Data Scarcity
No full textThis study investigates an adaptive ensemble machine learning approach to predict HTC reactor output
parameters under severe data scarcity conditions. Three complementary learning algorithms were selected:
Neural Networks (NN), capable of capturing complex non-linear relationships but sensitive to data scarcity;
Support Vector Regression (SVR), known for its robustness in high-dimensional spaces and generalization
capability with limited samples; and TreeBagger (Random Forest), which provides stable predictions through
ensemble averaging of decision trees. These models were integrated through a hybrid strategy that dynamically
combines model predictions using optimized weights determined through systematic grid search.
Results demonstrate significant improvements in critical parameters. Where combined predictions do not
improve upon the best single model, the approach automatically defaults to the superior individual predictor,
ensuring robust performance across all parameters. This adaptive framework proves particularly valuable for
HTC process optimization under data scarcity, offering a practical solution that maximizes information extraction
from limited experimental data
L'effettivo avvio al riciclo grazie a ricerca e sviluppo e filiere integrate: il caso Revet
No full textThanatometabolomics in wildlife: Identifying potential metabolic markers of post-mortem intervals in wild boars by direct analysis in real time high resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS)
No full textVeterinarians, particularly in the fields of veterinary forensics and veterinary epidemiology, need to be able to estimate the amount of time that has elapsed since an animal died. A reliable estimate of post-mortem interval (PMI) of the earliest cadavers found would inform veterinary services about the possible time since the index case of a disease and the possible range of the epidemic front. We pictured, in a non-targeted manner, the metabolic changes that occurred in four wild boar cadavers placed in a forested area of the North-Eastern Italy. We sampled tissue from the hind limb adductor muscles at nine different time points. The metabolic signatures of decomposing tissues were then analyzed by direct analysis in real time high resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS). A non-parametric ANOVA identified a suitable number of metabolic markers that were able to describe the post-mortem changes based on PMI. In order to go beyond a simple tentative annotation, these metabolites were identified by liquid chromatography tandem high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). We were able to identify specific biomolecules that have potential for use in PMI estimation, such as dipeptides, homocarnosine, hypoxanthine, and amino acids. Next, pathway analysis confirmed the extinction of energetic metabolism and a switch towards another source of fuel for the on-going decomposition processes. Our findings suggest that, by targeting a combination of compounds with different post-mortem stabilities, the decomposition of wild boars could be tracked by using an appropriate set of metabolites as revealed by our DART-HRMS study