Speleothems and speleogenesis of the hypogenic Santa Barbara Cave System (South-West Sardinia, Italy)

This paper presents the results of a study on the speleogene­sis and the speleothems and secondary mineralisations of the Santa Barbara Cave System in the Iglesiente Mining District (South-West Sardinia, Cagliari). This cave system, hosted in Cambrian carbonate rocks, has a very long geological history and its main voids have formed in hypogenic conditions. Nine speleogenetic phases can be recognised ranging in age between Cambrian and Holocene. Optical microscope and diffracto­metric analysis of active flowstone deposits have shown them being composed of alternating calcite and aragonite layers. The textural and chemical characteristics of these layers, obtained by SEM and EDAXanalysis, suggest them to be related to varia­tions in the depositional environment inside the cave, whichin turn are probably correlated to external climatic oscillations.

Cascina Roccafranca a Torino

Pubblicazione del progetto della Cascina Roccafranca nell'articolo di Michele Bonino, "Nothing special: a different and long-term model of sustainability" nel numero di World Architecture dedicato ai recenti progetti della Città di Torin

Riciclare grandi telai territoriali

Il testo propone le linee programmatiche del lavoro del gruppo di ricerca del Politecnico di Torino, all'interno della ricerca PRIN Re-cycle Italy. Si tratta di un testo di posizionamento scientifico che - a partire da ricerche pregresse sviluppate all'intero del Politecnico - pone le basi per la successiva indagine sul riciclo alla scala territorial

Centro Culturale Lou Pourtoun

Presentazione del Centro Culturale Lou Pourtoun di Ostana nel numero monografico della rivista Turris Babel, rivista della Fondazione Architettura Alto Adige, dedicato ai 22 progetti finalisti del premio Architetti Arco Alpino 2016. Il Centro Centro Culturale Lou Pourtoun è l'edificio consacrato ad ospitare le molte iniziative culturali (mostre, incontri, attività didattiche, ecc) del piccolo borgo occitano in alta Valle Po ed è divenuto immediatamente il luogo simbolo delle rinascita della Borgata Miribrart

Beneficial effects of fermented vegetal beverages on human gastrointestinal microbial ecosystem in a simulator

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of four beverage formulations (prebiotic - fructooligosaccharide, probiotic - Lactobacillus casei Lc-01, synbiotic - fructooligosaccharide and L. casei Lc-01 and placebo) based on aqueous extracts of soy and quinoa, towards the human intestinal microbiota using the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME (R)), a dynamic model of the human gut. To monitor the effects on microbial community composition, plate counts on specific growth media and a PCR-DGGE analysis were performed on samples from all colon compartments - ascending, transverse and descending. To verify the effects on microbial metabolism, we analyzed the ammonium and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentrations. The synbiotic beverage showed the best microbiological results in the ascending colon compartment, stimulating the growth of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., and reducing Clostridium spp., Bacteroides spp., enterobacteria and Enterococcus spp. populations in this compartment. A larger reduction (p < 0.05) of ammonia ions in the ascending colon was observed during the synbiotic beverage treatment. No statistical difference was observed in SCFA production among the treatments and the basal period. Plate count and DGGE analysis showed the survival of L. casei Lc-01 in the colon. DGGE analysis also showed higher richness and diversity of the Lactobacillus spp. community during the treatment with synbiotic beverage, with higher accentuation in the ascending colon. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP