Metodologia per la valutazione dell’impatto archeologico

The essay discusses the application of environment evaluation models, with regards to the Archaeological Component, in consideration of the rules in force for the protection and conservation of the archaeological heritage. The protection both of Cultural Heritage and of planning of infrastructures must follow the principles of «sustainable development». In the first part of the essay we acknowledge the value of environmental and archaeological impact studies on the territory. These studies, which must be conducted in a preliminary phase, make it possible to acquire a more profound knowledge not only of places subject to archaeological risk, but also of the historical and environmental reconstruction that may be useful for carrying out a project. The second part of the essay tackles the methodological problem for the archaeological impact evaluation of a site; this can be developed with the following aims: a) to single out the historical periods of a territory, relevant from the archaeological point of view; b) to define the sensibility of a historical period; c) to define the level of risk. For the evaluation it is necessary to define a qualitative hierarchy of the different sensibility levels that the archaeological object can have. This hierarchy is based on the identification of the right pointers and relevant principles of interpretation. The last part of the essay is a synthesis of an applied study case, described after the explanation of the methodology of the archaeological impact evaluation. In this study case we adopted the “quali-quantitative” evaluation techniques

Can volatile organic metabolites be used to simultaneously assess microbial and mite contamination level in cereal grains and coffee beans?

A novel approach based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-ToFMS) was developed for the simultaneous screening of microbial and mite contamination level in cereals and coffee beans. The proposed approach emerges as a powerful tool for the rapid assessment of the microbial contamination level (ca. 70 min versus ca. 72 to 120 h for bacteria and fungi, respectively, using conventional plate counts), and mite contamination (ca. 70 min versus ca. 24 h). A full-factorial design was performed for optimization of the SPME experimental parameters. The methodology was applied to three types of rice (rough, brown, and white rice), oat, wheat, and green and roasted coffee beans. Simultaneously, microbiological analysis of the samples (total aerobic microorganisms, moulds, and yeasts) was performed by conventional plate counts. A set of 54 volatile markers was selected among all the compounds detected by GC×GC-ToFMS. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied in order to establish a relationship between potential volatile markers and the level of microbial contamination. Methylbenzene, 3-octanone, 2-nonanone, 2-methyl-3-pentanol, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2-hexanone were associated to samples with higher microbial contamination level, especially in rough rice. Moreover, oat exhibited a high GC peak area of 2-hydroxy-6-methylbenzaldehyde, a sexual and alarm pheromone for adult mites, which in the other matrices appeared as a trace component. The number of mites detected in oat grains was correlated to the GC peak area of the pheromone. The HS-SPME/GC×GC-ToFMS methodology can be regarded as the basis for the development of a rapid and versatile method that can be applied in industry to the simultaneous assessment the level of microbiological contamination and for detection of mites in cereals grains and coffee beans

Volatile compounds from three cultivars of Olea europaea from Italy

The chemical compositions of the volatile fractions from three Olea europaea L. cultivars (Leccino, Frantoio, and Cipressino) were examined by GC and GC-MS. The results showed that the cultivars can be distinguished on the basis of the volatile fraction composition

Scenarios’ evaluation of territorial transformation in the province of Belluno through the application of the AHP methodology

The Italian Alpine region is characterized by a socio-economic structure that has its main source of wealth in the cross-border traffic roads. The only region that does not have a mountain motorway pass is Veneto, whose northern border territory is represented by the province of Belluno, a real cul-de-sac between the regions of Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia. In spite of this “communication obstruction” towards Europe, in the territory of the province of Belluno a strong manufacturing industry has developed in time, which is above all represented by the worldwide excellence of the eyewear district. Globalization processes are but progressively undermining the economic model of this province due to the absence of an infrastructure transport route which allows it to rapidly connect to Europe and its markets. Several strategies were proposed in the past and others have been presented nowadays. The goal is always again to develop the socio-economic context and improve the accessibility to the territories of the province of Belluno

Flavonoids analysis of four Vicia species of Narbonensis complex in two different vegetative phases

A qualitative analysis of flavonoids has been carried out for Vicia eristalioides Maxt., V. kalakhensis Khatt., Maxt. and Bisby, V. narbonensis L. and V. galilaea Plitm. et Zoh in two different vegetative phases. Free aglycones were consistently absent and there was no evidence of flavone glycosides, whereas kaempferol and quercetin glycosides were present in different amounts, according to the species. The flavonoid patterns of the four species were compared and differences were present among them and also within the same species during the two vegetative phases. The results indicate that flavonoid data may be used in the study of the organisation and evolution in Narbonensis comple

Volatile fractions from three cultivars of Olea europea L. collected in two different seasons

The chemical composition of the volatile fractions from leaves of three Olea europaea L. cultivars (Leccino, Frantoio, and Cipressino) harvested at two different times of the year were examined by GC and GC-MS. The results showed a high content of aliphatic aldehydes in the three cultivars during both harvesting periods and an increase of (E)-2-hexenal (an aldehyde with high antimicrobial properties) percentage from July to Novembe

Rethinking the construction industry under the circular economy : principles and case studies

Themes related to the conservation of the existing city recently became arelevant issue in national and international public policies. One of the challengesthat European Union and Italian authorities seek to pursue is sustainable-citiesdevelopment on energetic, social and economic levels, discouraging urban sprawl,and promoting reuse of the existing real-estate stock. City reuse instead of itsexpansion onto greenfields has then become in Italy a priority for the constructionindustry. The aim of the paper is to point out the potential radical change of theconstruction industry in Italy and the new perspectives the industry can pursue inthe future. Existing city reuse can be undertaken in two ways: through demolitionand reconstruction or retrofitting the existing real-estate stock. The preferencebetween the two options depends by real-estate market dynamics and by zoningrules made by local authorities. In the majority of Italian cities, retrofit operationsappear to be the true challenge because real-estate market values are not capable ofsupporting radical city transformations through demolition and reconstruction.Marketfigures make clear that the shift towards reuse is already under way, with asignificant growth of the reuse-segment over the span 2008\u20132014. Nevertheless, themajor costs for reuse and the limited budget of Italian families represent relevantissues standing in the way. So the construction industry confronts a new challenge:innovating reuse technology\u2014with reduced costs and increased effectiveness\u2014andfinding new sources of value to support the investment choice. The DutchEnergiesprong case study shows that highly-industrialized retrofit processes and theconversion of the energy bill into afinancial source to support stock refurbishmentrepresent the pillars of a disruptive and effective strategy