Caratterizzazione microstrutturale di nummi ufficiali e imitativi del V secolo d.C.

La riforma di Costantino del 309 d.C. introdusse il sistema monetario basato sulla moneta d’oro, con la qualecoesistevano, però, anche nominali d’argento e in leghe di rame: questi ultimi, denominati nummi, subironotra la fine del IV e il V secolo d. C. una netta riduzione ponderale in seguito alla quale raggiunsero pesi ancheinferiori al grammo. Nel presente lavoro sono stati caratterizzati un gruppo di nummi “bronzei” allo scopo dideterminarne la composizione chimica e la struttura metallurgica da correlare alla tecnologia di produzione.Sono state applicate tecniche microscopiche (SEM-EDS) su sezioni metallografiche e spettroscopiche (XRF) sucampioni integri. I dati ottenuti con le diverse tecniche evidenziano che le monete in bronzo, con alti tenori diPb, sono state prodotte per deformazione plastica di tondelli ottenuti per fusione entro matrici refrattarie.I valori percentuali delle componenti della lega Cu-Sn, con aggiunte di Pb, rientrano nell’intervallo dicomposizione di monete bronzee tardoantiche di ambito occidentale

The health determinants in young children: Testing a new surveillance system in Italy

In recent years, the scientific community has stressed the need to invest in the first 1,000 days of life - the time spanning between conception and the 2nd birthday - because it is during this period that the foundations of health are laid and whose effects will be present throughout the life and may influence the next generation. Taking this into account, in 2013 the National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CCM) of the Italian Ministry of Health promoted and financed a project to test a surveillance system of the main determinants of health concerning the child between the conception period and the 2nd years of life which are included in the National Programme “GenitoriPiù”: folic acid before and during pregnancy, abstention from tobacco and alcohol during pregnancy and lactation, breastfeeding, infant sleep position, vaccination attitude, and early reading. The Project, started in January 2014 and ended in August 2016, has piloted the design, testing, and evaluation of the surveillance system with the view to national extension and the repeatability over time. The surveillance system has been designed to collect data through a questionnaire compiled by mothers in vaccination centres, in order to produce indicators which will enable territorial and intertempo-ral comparisons to be made. The project has shown the feasibility of this system, identifying favourable conditions and possible difficulties, and its ability to collect important information on children's health

Development and efficacy of Droskidrink, a food bait for trapping Drosophila suzukii

Droskidrink is the name given in Trentino, Italy, to a food bait for attracting Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera Drosophilidae). It was originally designed in 2011 by a team led by Alberto Grassi. The Droskidrink consists of a mixture of apple cider vinegar (75%), red wine (25%) and 20 g/l of unrefined sugarcane. Its efficacy in comparison with other available food baits has been evaluated in different field trials (monitoring, mass trapping, attract-and-kill) during the period 2011-201

Microstructural characterization of official and imitative nummi of Vth century A.D

Metallography is an important tool that provides useful data on the fabrication technology, thermo-mechanical history of the object and on the nature of alloy employed. This research is part of a project aimed at reinforcing numismatic classification and description with chemical and microstrustural investigations. In this paper the attention has been focused on three bronze coins: Two Roman nummi struck under Arcadius/Honorius/Theodosius II in Rome (RIC, X, nn. 1271-1283, sample C9) and under Majorian in Ravenna (RIC, X, n. 2621,sample C26); the results of analyses on an italic imitation issued during the second half of V century AD are also presented, in order to evaluate possible connections between official and unofficial coins. The composition has been determined by XRF (Kevex 770) equipped whit a secondary target of Gd. The spectrometer operated at the following conditions: 55 kV, 1.00 mA. The microstructure of coins were investigated on metallographic cross-sections by light microscopy (Leica DM 100) and by SEM (Leica Cambridge Stereoscan 440) and analysed using the X-ray micro-analysis EDS (EDAX Philips) coupled to SEM. The EDS compositional profile is also obtained on the same coins to determine the element distribution and the concentration profile from the surface to the bulk. For EDS compositional profile the SEM operated at 25 kV. The semi-quantitative determination of element concentration was carried out standarless with the ZAF correction. In Tab.1 the bulk (b) and the surface (s) compositions (Wt%), determined whit EDS and XRF, are reported. The disagreement between XRF and SEM results are due to the different surface and bulk composition [2]. The high amount of Pb on the surface layer can be attributed to its preferential migration on the surface. The thickness and morphology of corrosion depend on chemical and physical properties of environment where coin was buried ; then the values obtained by SEM on the bulk (reported in tab 1) are reliable and show that specimens consist of a bronze alloy Cu-Sn with high rates of Pb. The content of Sn, shown in fig. 3, higher of 5%, identifies a western production [1, 10, 11], in contrast with what happens in the eastern mints. The micrographs show large grains flattened, evidence of the original cast microstructure with dendritic segregation; some slip lines were detected, confirming the plastic deformation (Fig 4, Fig 6, Fig 8). In Fig 5, 7, 9 BSE images show the directional preference of Pb. These characteristics can be attributed to identical production technologies for all the samples: The hypothesis is that the flans were obtained for solidification in the mold and then hammered to the desired thickness. Next, the plastic deformation could not be too strong because the Cu-Sn alloy whit an high amount of Pb is too brittle for further deformation. After being reduced in thickness, the flan was heated and coined. The process of hammering is evidenced by the shape of the grains that are not defined and polygonal but reflect a previous dendritic phase, which shows a fusion process. The presence of microsegregation zones shows the low working on metal surface after the melting process. XRF technique, instead, has not delivered the expected results in this work; in fact, the obtained data do not reflect the true composition of the sample but only the surface's layer composition of material

Composizione Idroalcolica Schiumosa

The present invention regards an alcoholic composition comprising a hydroalcoholic solution, packaged in a spray container, which takes foamy consistency after dispensing. A further object of the present invention is the process for obtaining said alcoholic composition