83 research outputs found
ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF NOISE MITIGATION MEASURES
No full textIn recent years, the issue of sustainability has assumed great importance in every field, including noise mitigation measures, and interested stakeholders have found themselves struggling with still evolving and uncertain techniques to evaluate the related social, economic, and environmental aspects. Indeed, the sustainability assessment can be accomplished with many different methods and countless indicators. To clarify the problem and identify suitable methodologies to assess the sustainability of noise mitigation solutions for roads, the Italian PIARC committee TC 3.4.2 has undertaken an in-depth study on the most ascertained techniques, from Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment to the more recent Envision protocol. This study has involved a broad and focused effort to define the meaning of sustainability, from the perspective of infrastructure managers, users, and the general population. Criteria and indicators to describe the performance of noise mitigation solutions have been identified and a general procedure for assessing the sustainability of noise mitigation measures has been defined. The selected method and indicators have then been applied to a case study, located in a suburban environment, to test their applicability and reliability. In this paper, the main outcomes of this study are reported
Monkey business in pompeii-unique find of a juvenile Barbary macaque skeleton in Pompeii identified using osteology and ancient DNA techniques
No full textLetter to the editorJillian F. Bailey, Maciej Henneberg, Isabelle B. Colson, Annamaria Ciarallo, Robert E. M. Hedges, and Bryan Syke
Wroclaw, Pl. Projects for a urban regeneration: Zamkowa
No full textLa pubblicazione riporta i risultati del lavoro progettuale e di ricerca svolti nell'ambito della Convenzione Quadro Internazionale tra Dipartimento di Architettura e Pianificazione Territoriale e municipalità di Wroclaw (Polonia), per lo sviluppo di progetti di rinnovamento urbano. Area di lavoro: Zamkowa
The LIFE SILENT Project's approach to sustainable noise mitigation
No full textThe main objective of the LIFE SILENT project is the development of sustainable and eco-friendly solutions to mitigate noise in complex urban environments, where multiple and diverse noise sources, mainly roads and railways, coexist across densely populated areas. Mitigating noise in such environments generally excludes the use of solutions that might interfere with the urban context, such as high noise barriers. This is mainly due to the proximity of receivers to the noise source, which reduces the visibility of the surroundings and air circulation, leading to microclimatic modifications and social opposition. This is why noise mitigation measures acting directly on the source are recommended, such as low-noise pavements for roads, and dampers, rail grinding, and silent brakes for railways. However, these solutions suffer from either durability issues or high implementation costs. Thus, an improvement is necessary. In the LIFE SILENT project, innovative and sustainable low-noise and long-lasting pavements, as well as low-height noise barriers, will be developed and demonstrated in a real test environment. Additionally, procedures will be established to facilitate their synergistic implementation, providing transport infrastructure owners and managers with solid information to support their widespread adoption. In this paper, a general overview of the LIFE SILENT project is given
Rilievo 3D per la prototipazione virtuale e fisica di reperti per la conservazione del cibo: due casi di studio
No full textIn questo lavoro viene descritto, attraverso l’impiego di tecnologie innovative, il processo di rilievo 3D di due interessanti casi di studio, attualmente non integri, insieme alle successive fasi di prototipazione virtuale e fisica di alcune ipotesi di restauro per restituirne la forma originaria “ideale”. Il lavoro è stato condotto, a titolo esemplificativo, dal Laboratorio di ArcheoIngegneria CAILab della II Facoltà di Ingegneria dell’Università di Bologna in occasione della Mostra “Conservare il cibo da Columella ad Artusi. I luoghi della conservazione” (Castello di Cusercoli – Civitella di Romagna (FC) dal 3 ottobre 2009 al 6 gennaio 2010
"E' morto il puttanier!". La satira nel canto libertario italiano tra Ottocento e primo Novecento
No full textUn articolo sulle strategie retoriche della satira presenti nel canto popolare italiano di ispirazione libertari
A NEW DITERPENOID WITH ANTISPASMODIC ACTIVITY FROM SALVIA CINNABARINA
No full textFrom the leaf surface exudate of the aerial parts of Salvia cinnabarina a new secoisopimarane diterpenoid with a non-specific spasmolytic activity on histamine-, acetylcholine-, and barium chloride-induced contractions in the isolated guinea-pig ileum was obtained. The IC50 value obtained was comparable with that obtained for papaverine. The structure of 3, 4-secoisopimara-4(18),7,15-triene-3-oic acid was established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques
A new diterpenoid with antispasmodic activity from Salvia cinnabarina.
No full textFrom the leaf surface exudate of the aerial parts of Salvia cinnabarina a new secoisopimarane diterpenoid with a non-specific spasmolytic activity on histamine; acetylcholine-, and barium chloride-induced contractions in the isolated guinea-pig ileum was obtained. The IC50 value obtained was comparable with that obtained for papaverine. The structure of 3,4-secoisopimara-4(18),7,15-triene-3-oic acid was established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques
Risk of hepatocellular carcinoma development in long-term nucles(t)ide analog suppressed patients with chronic hepatitis B
No full textAim: In long-term nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) suppressed patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can still develop. Few data exist on the incidence and the predictors of HCC development beyond the first five years in long-term treated patients. To assess the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors for HCC development in a real-life cohort of successfully NA-treated CHB patients for more than five years.
Methods: All CHB patients under NAs for ≥ 60 months with stable virologic response were enrolled. HCC surveillance was carried out using liver ultrasound and dosing of serum alpha-fetoprotein every year in patients with CHB and every six months in cirrhotic patients. The baseline PAGE-B score was calculated for each patient.
Results: 343 patients (76% male, 86% HBeAg-negative, 30% cirrhotic) were enrolled. During a median (IQR) follow-up of 144 (105-182) months, 21 patients (6%) developed HCC despite virologic suppression (incidence rate 40 cases/1000 person-years follow-up). In multivariate analysis, higher PAGE B score [adjusted Hazard Ratio, aHR 1.26 (95%CI: 1.13-1.54), P = .022] and cirrhosis [aHR 9.71 (95%CI: 2.02-46.48), P = .005] were predictors of HCC development. PAGE B score showed a significant association with HCC (R2 0.225, P < .001) and good prognostic capacity (AUC 0.863) of HCC.
Conclusions: Our results confirm that in successfully NA-treated CHB patients, sustained viral replication suppression does not abolish the risk of HCC. The PAGE-B score could be a useful tool for identifying high-risk subjects
Impact of 79 AD explosive eruption on Pompeii II: causes of death of the inhabitants inferred by stratigraphical and areal distribution of the human corpses.
No full textDetailed descriptions of the effects of explosive eruptions on urban settlements available to volcanologists are relatively rare. Apart from disease and starvation, the largest number of human deaths caused by explosive eruptions in the twentieth century are due to pyroclastic flows. The relationship between the number of victims related to a specific hazard and the presence of urban settlements in the area covered by the eruption has been shown. However, pyroclastic falls are also extremely dangerous under certain conditions. These conclusions are based on archaeological and volcanological studies carried out on the victims of the well-known AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed and buried the Roman city of Pompeii. The stratigraphic level in the pyroclastic deposit and the location of all the casualties found are described and discussed. The total number of victims recovered during the archaeological excavations amounts to 1150. Of these, 1044 well recognisable bodies plus an additional group of 100 individuals were identified based on the analysis of several groups of scattered bones. Of the former, 394 were found in the lower pumice lapilli fall deposit and 650 in the upper stratified ash and pumice lapilli pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) deposits. In addition, a tentative evaluation suggests that 464 corpses may still be buried in the unexcavated part of the city. According to the reconstruction presented in this paper, during the first phase of the eruption (August 24, AD 79) a huge quantity of pumice lapilli fell on Pompeii burying the city under 3 m of pyroclastic material. During this eruptive phase, most of the inhabitants managed to leave the city. However, 38% of the known victims were killed during this phase mainly as a consequence of roofs and walls collapsing under the increasing weight of the pumice lapilli deposit. During the second phase of the eruption (August 25, AD 79) 49% of the total victims were on the roadways and 51% inside buildings. All of these inhabitants, regardless of their location, were killed by the unanticipated PDCs overrunning the city. New data concerning the stratigraphic level of the victims in the pyroclastic succession allow us to discriminate between the sequential events responsible for their deaths. In fact, casts of some recently excavated corpses lay well above the lower PDCs deposit, testifying that some of the inhabitants survived the first pyroclastic current. Finally, during the PDCs phase the victims died quite rapidly by ash asphyxiation. From the attitude of some casts, it seems that some people survived the initial impact of the second pyroclastic current and tried to support head and bust during the progressive aggradation of the deposit at the base of the current
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