1,354,097 research outputs found
Geosciences didactic experiences as a key component in Education for Sustainable Development
No full textThis research project aims to contribute to the dissemination of Agenda 2030
for Sustainable Development topics among pupils and all school communities. Since
Geosciences intersect most of the Agenda 2030 Goals, Sustainable Development has
become one of the core subjects of this discipline, as well as teaching Geoscience
represents a key aspect of Education for Sustainability.
Several Geoscience topics, such as natural resources exploitation, responsible
consumption, ecological and water footprint, circular economy and waste reduction are
the main subjects addressed in this work. The choice of these research topics arises
from both the many connections between Sustainability and everyday lifestyles and
from their several linkages with different matters. This interdisciplinarity is in line with
the Italian School Citizenship education guidelines about Sustainable Development and
UNESCO key-competencies for Sustainability. In fact, Education for Sustainability is
one of the three main components of Citizenship Education that has become mandatory
for all Italian schools in the last two years. Moreover, the Italian School Department
established that Citizenship Education has to be addressed using multidisciplinary
approaches, involving all school’s teachers.
For this reason and in order to support educators in developing interdisciplinary
didactic pathways on Sustainability, I implemented some didactic activities with
comprehensive ready-to-use tools that make them easily replicable. Moreover, starting
from Geoscience educational experiences, like laboratorial activities about the water
and ecological footprint topics, teachers could approach socio-economic issues both
globally and locally with a contextualization in their own territory.
The study has been proposed with the dual purpose of spreading Earth
Sciences topics among k6-k8 students and of using them as interdisciplinary vectors in
order to promote eco-friendly behaviours. Understanding how to improve pupils' ability
to establish and justify the relationships between humans and the environment is
essential to make the younger generation become conscious and responsible towards
the environment itself.
The topics developed in this research project are, in detail:
1- The ecological footprint and ecological rucksack of everyday life simple
actions (like washing, eating, dressing...), with a special focus on natural resources
exploitation (water, soil), waste production and the responsible actions of reducing,
reusing, repairing and recycling. Team work and hands-on activities were carried out in
order to improve students’ awareness about these Sustainability subjects, linking them
to pupils’ real life.
2- Responsible food consumption and the ecological footprint of foods. Pupils
were engaged in a team-challenge game, to discuss and think critically about the
environmental impact of their daily diet, due to food production, transport, distribution
and packaging. Topics like water, carbon and ecological footprint were developed, as
well as agriculture and farming stress on our planet's health.
3- Agenda 2030 Goals (SDGs) and its call for immediate action towards
responsible lifestyles. The several interconnections between Geosciences and the
SDGs are deeply discussed with pupils and teachers, in order to highlight the key-role
of this discipline in Education for Sustainability. Agenda 2030 is the core issue of all the
activities realized for this research. Moreover, an educational game was developed,
completely dedicated to this UN plan of action. It is a cardboard Game, called
Sustainable City Game (S-City Game), planned in an interdisciplinary manner, that
proposes topics related to Agenda 2030 and Sustainability (like SDGs and targets,
circular economy, natural resources exploitation ...). Several school matters, such as
Science, Math, Geography, Technology, History and Citizenship were involved in this
game. As a follow-up work, a digital version of the S-City Game was developed, in order
to involve teachers and pupils from home, during COVID-19 lockdown.
Learning-by-doing, cooperative learning and learning-by-gaming are the
methodological approaches used for the activities tested. In order to involve pupils in
an active way and to make them think about simple responsible behaviours,
manipulation, team-work and gaming have proven to be very useful educational tools
to vehicle Sustainability topics.
The experimentation was carried out with k6-k8 students from different Italian
schools. The first segment of the project was tested through activities in presence, while
the second one was experimented through distance learning, because of the COVID-
19 crisis. In fact, the activities in presence are based on practical and hands-on
experiences, besides an educational cardboard game, called S-city game. As a follow-
up work, the digital version of S-city game, included in a virtual environment, was
implemented, in order to face the pandemic emergency that could stop the research
experimentation. On the contrary, the use of virtual environments and digital gaming
allowed us not only to reach students and teachers from different Italian regions, but
also to obtain good results in terms of learning and satisfaction. Nevertheless the
distance mode, the laboratorial didactic approach based on constructivism, continued
to characterize this research.
Thanks to the data collected during this PhD project experimentation, we can
positively evaluate the didactic activities tested that constitute effective educational
pathways for improving pupils' awareness towards eco-friendly and responsible
lifestyles
A spectroscopic study on some atmospherically relevant reactions with the support of electronic structure calculations
No full textThe work described in this thesis is a study of the atmospherically relevant reactions ofdimethyl sulfide (DMS) with halogen and interhalogen molecules (Cl2, Br2, I2, BrCl andICl) and ozone with selected alkenes (ethylene, tetramethylethylene and 2-methylpropene).The aim was to investigate the mechanisms of these reactions and identify reaction inter-mediates.Infrared matrix isolation spectroscopy and u.v.-photoelectron spectroscopy were used todetect intermediates and products, and ab initio calculations were used to facilitate spec-tral assignments and to provide information on the structure of the molecules studied.The results confirm and extend previous matrix isolation infrared studies on the DMS/Cl2system and also provide vibrational assignment and ab initio calculations for the electronicstructure of the intermediates present in the related DMS/Br2, DMS/I2, DMS/BrCl andDMS/ICl reactions. For all systems, the intermediate is shown to be a van der Waalscomplex of the type DMS:XY, where XY is a halogen or interhalogen molecule.The reactions of ozone and alkenes were studied by u.v.-photoelectron spectroscopy. Theresults follow the general mechanism proposed by Criegee but no Criege intermediate isobserved. Reaction mechanisms are presented and discussed for each reaction investi-gated.Of great importance is the observation of the first excited state of oxygen (O2 a1 ? g) inthe reactions of ozone with ethylene and 2-methylpropene which play an important rolein the oxidation chemistry of the troposphere
A spectroscopic study of the reaction between Br2 and dimethyl sulphide, and comparison with a parallel study made on Cl2+DMS
No full textThe reaction between molecular bromine and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) has been studied both as a co-condensation reaction in low temperature matrices by infrared (IR) matrix isolation spectroscopy and in the gas-phase at low pressures by UV photoelectron spectroscopy (PES). The co-condensation reaction leads to the formation of the molecular van der Waals adduct DMS–Br2. This was identified by IR spectroscopy supported by results of electronic structure calculations. Calculation of the minimum energy structures in important regions of the reaction surface and computed IR spectra of these structures, which could be compared with the experimental spectra, allowed the structure of the adduct (Cs) to be determined. The low pressure (ca. 10-5 mbar) gas-phase reaction was studied by UV-PES, but did not yield any observable products, indicating that a third body is necessary for the adduct to be stabilised. These results are compared with parallel co-condensation and gas-phase reactions between DMS and Cl2. For this reaction, a similar van der Waals adduct DMS–Cl2 is observed by IR spectroscopy in the co-condensation reactions, but in the gas-phase, this adduct converts to a covalently bound structure Me2SCl2, observed in PES studies, which ultimately decomposes to monochlorodimethylsulfide and HCl. For these DMS + X2 reactions, computed relative energies of minima and transition states on the potential energy surfaces are presented which provide an interpretation for the products observed from the two reactions studied. The implications of the results obtained to atmospheric chemistry are discussed
A study on atmospheric aerosol particles size distribution in several sites in Lombardia region by an optical particle counter
No full textIn Lombardia, a project (Particolato fine in Lombardia – PARFIL – 2004÷2006) aiming at the chemical and physical characterisation of atmospheric aerosol related with pollution sources is in progress.
Sixteen measurement sites with different topography and urbanization are continuously monitored as for PM10/PM2.5/PM1 mass concentration and chemical composition. Moreover, particle number concentration was assessed at five sites (2 urban, 1 rural, 1 pre-alpine and 1 alpine) using an Optical Particle Counter (OPC) working on 15 classes over the size range 0.3–30 μm. In each site both winter and summer campaigns were performed.
In order to investigate similarities in the behaviour of different sized particles, cluster analysis was applied on the dimensional classes. The autocorrelation function was determined on the clusters to estimate particles residence times and/or response time to variation of the system on local scale.
Number concentration series were also analysed in relation to main meteorological parameters as air temperature and humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, rainfall and Pasquill categories.
The results of the study highlight the role played by local sources for the coarse fraction, while meteorological conditions, seasonal changes and pollution emissions on the Po valley have a significant influence on the sub-micron sized particles
Investigation into the lactic acid population ofsalami Ciauscolo by PCR-DGGE (Indagine sulla popolazione di batteri lattici del salame “Ciauscolo” mediante PCR-DGGE)
No full textWASTEBERG: a didactic activity about waste and sustainable use of georesources in relation to the Agenda 2030
No full textNowadays, the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development is a key concept to be introduced in the Environmental Education at all school levels. Therefore, it is important that Science Curricula will be integrated with didactic paths, in order to make students approach the topics of the Agenda, making them easier to understand and suitable to be treated in classes of different grades. Geosciences can offer fruitful opportunities for the realization of many multidisciplinary teaching activities related to the Sustainable Development. Here we present a didactic activity about waste and circular economy, in line with Agenda 2030, which has been realized for 14-years-old students and tested both in the class and with a group of teachers. In the activity, topics like georesources, ore deposits, mining are approached, to explain the life cycle of packaging materials. The Wasteberg, a term firstly introduced by Young and Sachs (1994), was used here to name the activity, which was implemented from to the original concept to build an articulated didactic plan. By taking into consideration different types of packaging wastes, made of aluminum, glass, plastics and paper, the aim of the activity is to make the students understand that what is beyond common household waste can be represented by the shape of an iceberg. By using a familiar comparison, the objective of the activity was to attract the interest of students, increasing their understanding and awareness about nonrenewable resources and sustainable development, by making them focus on resources consumption and the energy flow behind any productive processes. Pupils, divided in groups, worked following the Inquiry Based Science Education approach (IBSE). The activity was carried out using also interdisciplinary aspects, involving in the experience the teachers of math, history, geography and technology. As a final outcome, the class determined the economic and environmental advantages that can be obtained by recycling waste materials
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Investigation of the microbial ecology of Ciauscolo, a traditional Italian salami, by culture – dependent techniques and PCR-DGGE.
No full textThe microbial ecology of 22 samples of commercially available Ciauscolo salami were investigated using a polyphasic approach, based
on culture-dependent and -independent techniques. The viable counts of pathogen and hygiene indicator microorganisms highlighted the
adequate application of good manufacturing practices, while the viable counts of the lactic acid bacteria, coagulase negative cocci, and
yeasts showed dominance of the first of these microbial groups. Bacterial and fungal DNA were extracted directly from the salami and
amplified by PCR, using two primer sets targeting the 16S and 28S rRNA genes, respectively. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis
(DGGE) and sequencing of selected bands were used to investigate the microbial ecology of these Ciauscolo salami. The most frequently
found bacterial species were Lactobacillus sakei and Lb. curvatus, while Debaryomyces hansenii was the prevalent yeast species detected.
Cluster analysis of the DGGE profiles and calculation of biodiversity indices allowed the degree of microbial similarity across these salami
to be determined
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