New floristic data of alien vascular plants from Sicily

New records of Commelina communis, Euphorbia hypericifolia, Melia azedarach, Nicotiana tabacum, and Xanthoceras sorbifolium are reported for the Sicilian flora

Natura e architettura nel giardino di Villa Florio-Pignatelli (Palermo, Sicilia).

ABSTRACT.\u2013 Amongst the Sicilian historical gardens it is merited to remember the ornamental garden design of Villa Florio- Pignatelli, situated in the western periphery of Palermo. The building, and probably the garden too, are from the second half of the 18. century. This article contains the result of a cognitive study of its history, architecture and vegetal composition, based on field studies in the garden itself, on bibliographical and archival work. In 1838 it was sold by the Duke of Cumia to Vincenzo Florio, who in following conceded it to his son Ignazio. Already at this time, there was a garden with a "flora all\u2019Italiana" behind the Villa, which had circular vials in radial order, demarcated with a box-hedge (Buxus sempervirens), much like a small reproduction of the more famous and celebrated Villa Giulia (1777), the first public garden in the town.The elegance of the garden's proportions is based on at least four geometric orders interacting with each other. They reveal evi- dence of important fixed points or "topoi" of the garden; these affirm that the apparent simplicity contains complicated arith- metic and geometric relations in an exceptional union of architectural and botanical significance

Valantia deltoidea (Rubiaceae) sulle Madonie (Sicilia)

Valantia deltoidea, a therophyte endemic to Sicily, so far known only from its locus classicus on the Rocca Busambra (Palermo, Province) has recently been found at the foot of the Serre di Quacella (Madonie, on dolomite rock, about 1300 m altitude. Besides outlines of taxonomical characteristics of such species, the data on the new locality and the updated distribution are provided here

Plastic-free behavior of millennials: An application of the theory of planned behavior on drinking choices

This study explores the factors that influence millennials’ intentions and behavior regarding reduced plastic consumption. An extended theory of planned behavior was established as a conceptual model that explicitly analyzed both the role of past and stated behaviors. The stated behavior was measured using a projective technique. The data obtained from a survey of 741 Italian respondents were analyzed through multiple correspondence analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results of the projective technique characterized “plastic-free” behavior as a unidimensional construct. Structural equation modeling showed that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence the intention of millennial consumers to reduce the use of plastic drinking bottles. The perceived behavioral control is the strongest predictor of intention (ß = 0.304; p < 0.001), followed by social norms (ß = 0.271; p < 0.001) and attitudes (ß = 0.130; p < 0.001). The past behavior construct positively and significantly affects attitude (ß = 0.165; p < 0.001), intention (ß = 0.231; p < 0.001), and stated behavior (ß = 0.073; p < 0.05) constructs. The latter is also positively predicted by intention (ß = 0.151; p < 0.001). Based on the results, actions and incentives for reducing plastic consumption were provided

The role of counterions (Mo, Nb, Sb, W) in Cr-, Mn-, Ni- and V-doped rutile ceramic pigments - Part 1. Crystal structure and phase transformations

Rutile is widely used as ceramic pigment for its excellent optical properties, high melting point and intense coloration when doped with transition elements. Industrial ceramic pigments are manufactured from anatase Plus chromophore elements (Cr, Mn, Ni or V) and counterions (Nb, Sb or W). Several solid state reactions occur during the synthesis, involving both the anatase-to-rutile transformation (A --> R) and the formation of accessory phases. The A --> R transition is heavily affected by chromophores with a lowering of the onset temperature: V < Cr < Ni < Mn: the effect of counterions is almost completely hidden by that of chromophores, even if the sequence Mo < Sb < W < Nb may be inferred. The crystal structure of rutile pigments is modified by chromophores and counterions doping; in fact, the doping varies the cell parameters, implies a progressive distortion of the octahedral site and a peculiar variation of the mean Ti-O bond length, with longer basal Ti-O distances and a shorter apical Ti-O distance. The pigment co-doped with V and W is different for its minimum Ti-O bond length distortion (BLD), an almost regular TiO6 octahedron, and the occurrence of Ti3+ within the accessory compound Ti5O9

New Aloes casual aliens in Sicily

Aloë arborescens, A. brachystachys and A. maculata (Asphodelaceae) are reported for the first time as casual aliens in Sicily. A. brachystachys is new also for the alien flora of Italy

Thermal conductivity of clay bricks

In the present work the thermal conductivity of 29 samples of clay bricks was measured and the correlations of the thermal performance with the compositional, physical, and microstructural features of products were investigated. The results obtained directed our attention toward a better understanding of the role played by some parameters (i.e., mineralogical components and pore size distribution), other than bulk density, in improving or depressing the insulating properties of bricks. Among them, the unfavorable role of quartz, Ca-rich silicates, and amorphous phase came out, while the role of pore size and specific surface should be more accurately evaluated in the structural design of materials

The Role of counterions (Mo, Nb, Sb, W) in Cr-, Mn-, Ni- and V-doped rutile ceramic pigments. Part 2. Colour and technological properties

Industrial rutile pigments are manufactured using several chromophores: Cr (giving an orange hue), Mn (tan), Ni (yellow) and V (gray); a second element, the so-called counterion (i.e. Mo, Sb, Nb or W) is always added in order to achieve the desired coloration and/or improve the technological properties (e.g. chemico-physical resistance in ceramic bodies and glazes). The colour of these pigments is determined by both metal-ligand charge transfer (Ti4+ <-> O2-) and crystal field effects (transition metals substituting Ti4+ in octahedral coordination). Though the absorbance bands are broad and frequently overlapped, the UV-vis-NIR spectra suggest the occurrence of Cr3+, Mn2+, Mn3+, Ni2+, V3+, and V4+ as chromophores. Rutile pigments are suitable for through-body (up to 1250 degrees C) and glaze applications (up to 1100 degrees C). The best coloration of porcelain stoneware bodies is achieved with Sb or W as counterions, though the higher stability is ensured by Sb, but in the Ti-Ni-W system. The best glaze colours are accomplished by W-bearing pigments, which however are less stable than Nb- or Sb-containing ones, except than for the V + W coupling. This latter represents a new and very interesting Co-free and Cr-free black pigment for low temperature applications

Equilibrium moisture content of clay bricks: The influence of the porous structure

The comprehension of the influence exerted by the material microstructure on the hygrometric properties of clay bricks plays a fundamental role in order to control the condensation phenomena and to avoid the deterioration of the masonry structure. The equilibrium moisture content (MEq) of ordinary and lightweight clay bricks was measured and the correlation with microstructure and pore morphology was investigated. The influence of the pore size and specific surface on the amount of MEq was found to be prevalent when compared to the other physical variables. A statistical model was also set up in order to predict the MEq values

A decentralized ITS architecture for efficient distribution of traffic task management

In this paper, the attention is focused on the design of a new multi-layered architecture for vehicular environment. System will be able to gather information from vehicular devices. This will allow system to faster respond at emergency situation such as traffic jams or collisions. Distributed entities work at different layers exploiting cloud and fog computing in order to better distribute tasks along the infrastructure. Lower layer is composed of On-Board Units (OBUs) and RoadSide Units (RSUs) that exploits Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) protocols for inner VANET communications. At the Edge layer we propose fog computing nodes that gather data from RSUs for local processing and after an aggregation step they send data to an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) management system. The proposed architecture has the main goal to better respond to the network and traffic dynamics by improving performances of the ITS system