Urban Sprawl and COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Integrating Deep Learning with Google Earth Engine

Timely information on land use, vegetation coverage, and air and water quality, are crucial for monitoring and managing territories, especially for areas in which there is dynamic urban expansion. However, getting accessible, accurate, and reliable information is not an easy task, since the significant increase in remote sensing data volume poses challenges for the timely processing and analysis of the resulting massive data volume. From this perspective, classical methods for urban monitoring present some limitations and more innovative technologies, such as artificial-intelligence-based algorithms, must be exploited, together with performing cloud platforms and ad hoc pre-processing steps. To this end, this paper presents an approach to the use of cloud-enabled deep-learning technology for urban sprawl detection and monitoring, through the fusion of optical and synthetic aperture radar data, by integrating the Google Earth Engine cloud platform with deep-learning techniques through the use of the open-source TensorFlow library. The model, based on a U-Net architecture, was applied to evaluate urban changes in Phoenix, the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States. The available ancillary information on newly built areas showed good agreement with the produced change detection maps. Moreover, the results were temporally related to the appearance of the SARS-CoV-2 (commonly known as COVID-19) pandemic, showing a decrease in urban expansion during the event. The proposed solution may be employed for the efficient management of dynamic urban areas, providing a decision support system to help policy makers in the measurement of changes in territories and to monitor their impact on phenomena related to urbanization growth and density. The reference data were manually derived by the authors over an area of approximately 216 km2, referring to 2019, based on the visual interpretation of high resolution images, and are openly available

Organoselenium compounds as functionalizing agents for gold nanoparticles in cancer therapy

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified with four organoselenium compounds, i.e., 4-selenocyanatoaniline (com- pound 1), 4,4′-diselanediyldianiline (compound 2), N-(4-selenocyanatophenyl)cinnamamide (compound 3), and N-(3-selenocyanatopropyl)cinnamamide (compound 4), were synthesized following two different approaches: direct conjugation and non-covalent immobilization onto hydrophilic and non-cytotoxic AuNPs functionalized with 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate (3MPS). Both free compounds and AuNPs-based systems were characterized via UV-Vis, FTIR NMR, mass spectrometry, and SR-XPS to assess their optical and structural properties. Size and colloidal stability were evaluated by DLS and ζ-potential measurements, whereas morphology at solid-state was evaluated by atomic force (AFM) and scanning electron (FESEM) microscopies. AuNPs synthesized through chemical reduction method in presence of Se-based compounds as functionalizing agents allowed the formation of aggregated NPs with little to no solubility in aqueous media. To improve their hydrophilicity and stability mixed AuNPs-3MPS-1 were synthesized. Besides, Se-loaded AuNPs-3MPS revealed to be the most suitable sys- tems for biological studies in terms of size and colloidal stability. Selenium derivatives and AuNPs were tested in vitro via MTT assay against PC-3 (prostatic adenocarcinoma) and HCT-116 (colorectal carcinoma) cell lines. Compared to free compounds, direct functionalization onto AuNPs with formation of Au-Se covalent bond led to non-cytotoxic systems in the concentration range explored (0–100 μg/mL), whereas immobilization on AuNPs- 3MPS improved the cytotoxicity of compounds 1, 3, and 4. Selective anticancer response against HCT-116 cells was obtained by AuNPs-3MPS-1. These results demonstrated that AuNPs can be used as a platform to tune the in vitro biological activity of organoselenium compounds

Noble Metal Nanoparticles Networks Stabilized by Rod‐Like Organometallic Bifunctional Thiols

od-like organometallic dithiol containing square-planar Pt(II) centers, i. e., trans,trans- [(H3COCS)Pt(PBu3)2(C�C C6H4 C6H4 C�C)(PBu3)2Pt(SCOCH3)] was used as bifunctional stabilizing agent for the synthesis of Pd-, Au-, and AgNPs (MNPs). All the MNPs showed diameters of about 4 nm, which can be controlled by carefully modulating the synthesis parameters. Covalent MNPs stabilization occurred through a single S bridge between Pt(II) and the noble metal nanocluster surfaces, leading to a network of regularly spaced NPs with the formation of dyads, as supported by SR-XPS data and by TEM imaging analysis. The chemical nature of NPs systems was also confirmed by EDS and NMR. Comparison between SR-XPS data of MNPs and self-assembled monolayers and multilayers of pristine rod-like dithiols deposited onto polycrystalline gold surfaces revealed an electronic interaction between Pt(II) centers and biphenyl moieties of adjacent ligands, stabilizing the organic structure of the network. The possibility to obtain networks of regularly spaced MNPs opens outstanding perspectives in optoelectronics

Study of the interaction mechanism between hydrophilic thiol capped gold nanoparticles and melamine in aqueous medium

In the last years, intense efforts have been made in order to obtain colloidal-based systems capable of pointing out the presence of melamine in food samples. In this work, we reported about the recognition of melamine in aqueous solution, using gold nanoparticles stabilized with 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate (AuNPs-3MPS), with the aim of deepening how the recognition process works. AuNPs were synthesized using a wet chemical reduction method. The synthesized AuNPs-3MPS probe was fully characterized, before and after the recognition process, by both physicochemical (UV–vis, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, DLS and ζ-potential) and morphostructural techniques (AFM, HR-TEM). The chemical and electronic structure was also investigated by SR-XPS. The sensing method is based on the melamine-induced aggregation of AuNPs; the presence of melamine was successfully detected in the range of 2.5−500 ppm. The results achieved also demonstrate that negatively charged AuNPs-3MPS are potentially useful for determining melamine contents in aqueous solution. SR-XPS measurements allowed to understand interaction mechanism between the probe and the analyte. The presence of sulfonate groups allows a mutual interaction mediated by electrostatic bonds between nanoparticles surface thiols and positively charged amino groups of melamine molecules

Fotometria della cometa C/2012 S1 (ISON) attorno al perielio dal telescopio Schmidt dell’osservatorio di Asiago

In questa tesi viene presentata un'analisi fotometrica della cometa C/2012 S1 (ISON) osservata nei mesi di settembre e novembre 2013 con il telescopio Schmidt dell'osservatorio di Asiago. Sono state analizzate immagini nelle bande B, V , R, e I. Per caratterizzare l'attività della polvere della cometa e investigare le proprietà della chioma di polvere

Gene expression patterns and stress response in the copepod Calanus helgolandicus

Dottorato di Ricerca in Biologia Animale, XXIV Ciclo, a.a.2010-2011Diatoms and dinoflagellates are dominant photosynthetic organisms in the world‟s oceans and are considered essential in the transfer of energy through marine food chains. However, these unicellular organisms produce secondary metabolites such as products deriving from the oxidation of fatty acids collectively termed oxylipins (including polyunsaturated aldehydes or PUAs; by diatoms) or potent neurotoxins (brevetoxins; by dinoflagellates). It is often assumed that harmful algae toxins are grazing deterrents to discourage zooplankton grazers from eating these algae. Some laboratory studies have suggested that some toxic algae are either not eaten by various grazers or that grazers ingesting toxic algae suffer adverse effects such as reduced feeding rates, diminished reproductive success, behavioral modification or increased mortality (Cohen et al., 2007, Kubanek et al., 2007; Prince et al., 2006). The aim of this thesis was to study in the copepod Calanus helgolandicus the effects of toxic diets at the molecular level. Expression level analyses by the sensible technique reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) allowed the study of specific genes of interest (GOI) which are known to have a primary role in generic stress responses, defense systems (e.g. aldehyde, free fatty acid and free radical detoxification) or apoptosis regulation in other organisms, from humans to marine organisms (Bouraoui, et al., 2009; Einsporn, et al., 2009; Hasselberg, et al., 2004; Kim, et al., 2008; Olsvik, et al., 2009; Salazar-Medina, et al., 2010; Snyder, 2000; Vasiliou, et al., 2004; Wan, et al., 2011). The GOI analyzed were two heat shock proteins (HSP70 and HSP40), six Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH2, ALDH3, ALDH6, ALDH7, ALDH8, ALDH9), Cytochrome P450-4 (CYP4), Catalase (CAT), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione S-Transferase (GST), Glutathione Synthase (GSH-S), Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (IAP), Cell Cycle and Apoptosis Regulatory 1Protein (CARP), Cellular Apoptosis Susceptibility Protein (CAS), actin (ACT) and Alpha and Beta tubulins (ATUB and BTUB). These GOI were analyzed in various experimental conditions: copepods exposed to algae which produce or do not produce toxic metabolites, including dinoflagellates (Prorocentrum minimum, Rhodomonas baltica or Karenia brevis) and diatoms (Chaetoceros socialis and Skeletonema marinoi), during field or laboratory experiments. In addition, the effect of the oxylipin producing diatom Skeletonema marinoi has been tested on two different C. helgolandicus populations: the Mediterranean population collected in the Adriatic Sea and the Atlantic population collected in the English Channel. According to the results obtained, expression levels of the specific GOI changed depending on the tested algae, times of exposure, copepod population analyzed and field/laboratory experiments. Gene expression level patterns in the different experimental conditions tested may help to understand the copepod response to stressful conditions. The identification of new genes, for example using cDNA libraries or new generation sequencing, and the application of new tools, such as functional proteomic approaches, may allow for a more comprehensive overview of how copepods respond to specific stressors in the laboratory, but also to predict the response under natural environmental conditions and the effects of these responses on higher trophic levels.Università della Calabri

"Sul campo dell'Onore". Ricerca storica in memoria degli infermieri italiani caduti nella Prima Guerra Mondiale

OBIETTIVO: Il presente lavoro ha l'obiettivo di esplorare se e come sono ricordati gli infermieri italiani dipendenti dell'Ospedale Maggiore di Milano caduti nella Grande Guerra. Inoltre, si vuole contribuire a tratteggiare l'identití  professionale nei primi anni del Novecento in Italia.METODO: Si è esaminata la documentazione amministrativa di 127 infermieri in servizio nell'Ospedale Maggiore di Milano e chiamati alle armi tra il 1915 e il 1918. I documenti sono stati rinvenuti nell'Archivio storico dell'ospedale milanese dal luglio 2015 al marzo 2016 e analizzati attraverso l'impiego della metodologia della ricerca storica secondo Chabod (2012).RISULTATI: Si è scoperta la testimonianza di 5 infermieri caduti durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale. Onorati come soldati coraggiosi, sono ricordati per la diligenza, la sollecitudine e il riguardo nella cura dei malati. Per non dimenticarli, la comunití  ospedaliera esprime riconoscenza alle famiglie con contributi economici e li commemora incidendone i nomi in un'epigrafe marmorea.CONCLUSIONI: Dai risultati dell'indagine sono emersi numerosi ricordi d'infermieri civili periti negli anni 1915-1918, dai quali è stato possibile scorgere l'identití  professionale negli anni 20 del Novecento. La partecipazione degli infermieri nella Prima Guerra Mondiale, in concomitanza con la ricorrenza del suo centenario, può essere ulteriormente approfondita.PAROLE CHIAVE: Infermieri italiani, Prima Guerra Mondiale, Storia.ABSTRACTAIM: Several Italian male nurses employed at the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan were among the dead during First World War. This paper investigates whether and in which way these people are remembered. In addition the authors draw a picture of the nursing profession as it were in the early Twentieth Century in Italy.METHOD: The administrative documentation of 127 male nurses on duty at the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan and called to arms between 1915 and 1918 was examined. The documents were found in the historical archive of the Ospedale Maggiore from July 2015 to March 2016 and analyzed using the method of historical research according to Chabod (2012).RESULTS: Documents that witnessed the death of 5 male nurses during the war were found. These people were praised for their courage, self-sacrifice and commitment in attending the sick and the wounded. The hospital community arranged to devolve a sumof money to their families in sign of gratitude and commemorated them by engraving their names in a marble monument.CONCLUSIONS: Many memories of civilian male nurses in the years 1915-1918 emerged from this investigation, and the professional identity of nurses in the 1920s emerged quiteclearly. The participation of male nurses in the First World War, in conjunction with the recurrence of its centenary, could be further deepened.KEYWORDS: Italian Male Nurses, First World War, History