DLT-based trading venues and EU capital markets legislation: state of the art and perspectives under the DLT pilot regime

This paper aims to analyze the interconnection of the recently published DLT Regulation with traditional pieces of EU financial legislation, particularly MiFID II and the CSDR, as to the treatment of market infrastructures. Therefore, the study’s main purpose is to scrutinize the legislative choices concerning the use of DLT in trading and settlement transactions, especially given the principle of technological neutrality. To reach such an objective, the paper briefly evaluates whether, and to what extent, the applicable legislation is indeed incompatible with DLT. As a result, questions are posed to the design of a pilot regime and to the short-term solution ultimately adopted by EU legislators, given the feasibility of more efficient coordination of the regimes in light of the new technology

Tuning frequency band gaps of tensegrity metamaterials with local and global prestress

This work studies the acoustic band structure of tensegrity metamaterials, and the possibility to tune the dispersion relation of such systems by playing with local and global prestress variables. Building on established results of the Bloch-Floquet theory, the paper first investigates the linearized response of chains composed of tensegrity units and lumped masses, which undergo small oscillations around an initial equilibrium state. The stiffness of the units in such a state varies with an internal self-stress induced by prestretching the cables forming the tensegrity units, and the global prestress induced by the application of compression forces to the terminal bases. The given results show that frequency band gaps of monoatomic and biatomic chains can be effectively altered by the fine tuning of local and global prestress parameters, while keeping material properties unchanged. Numerical results on the wave dynamics of chains under moderately large displacements confirm the presence of frequency band gaps of the examined systems in the elastically hardening regime. Novel engineering uses of the examined metamaterials are discussed

The Story of an Egyptian Cat Mummy Through CT Examination

Much of the fascination surrounding Egyptian civilization is linked to the practice of mummification. In fact, to ensure the preservation of the body, the ancient Egyptians mummified both human and animal subjects. However, mummified animal remains are less well studied, although they represent a significant part of the material culture and history of ancient Egypt. The introduction of non-invasive imaging methods has allowed researchers to study the material hidden within the wrappings of mummies. In this article, the cat mummy currently exhibited at the Museo Etnologico Missionario di San Francesco di Fiesole (Florence, Italy), originating from Luxor and legally acquired during an expedition in the 20th century, was analyzed using computed tomography (CT). The CT enabled the identification of the casing content, showing the presence of an entire cat skeleton. The cat had several fractures, some of which were identified in the cervical region, possibly related to the cause of death. Furthermore, the zooarcheological analysis allowed the identification of the age at death of the cat, providing further information about the story of the mummy. This research provides a further contribution to the analysis of mummies, with a case study of a cat mummy that emphasizes the importance of CT scans in humanistic studies and museum environments