Studio delle potenzialità delle piattaforme UAV nel campo del rilievo dei Beni Culturali

L'uso di piattaforme aeree senza pilota a bordo (UAV) sta diventando sempre più frequente nel campo del rilievo fotogrammetrico soprattutto grazie ai numerosi vantaggi che tali sistemi presentano rispetto alle classiche riprese di fotogrammetria aerea. Il lavoro condotto descrive i primi risultati ottenuti utilizzando sistemi UAV per il rilievo di Beni Culturali. Lo studio è stato svolto acquisendo alcuni dataset relativi a siti archeologici; tali dataset presentano caratteristiche differenti in relazione ai velivoli utilizzati, alle caratteristiche dei voli ed all’estensione delle aree rilevate. Il lavoro ha permesso di eseguite delle prime valutazioni sulla precisione metrica degli orientamenti e sul livello di dettaglio ottenuto dai modelli 3D e dalle ortofoto

Study of electrochemical remediation of clay spiked with C12-C18 alkanes

To date, the management of polluted soils and sediments is challenging because they can be characterized by heterogeneous conditions, miscellaneous contaminants (organic and inorganic ones), fine grains and low-hydraulic permeability. In these cases, the current treatment methods are poorly effective. ElectroChemical Remediation Technologies (ECRTs) are considered some of the main appealing strategies for the remediation of such complex sites. The ECRTs are based on the application of a relatively low cell potential value, between two or more electrodes, inducing an electric field (E) through the polluted media, which prompts the remediation of the contaminated site. This work was focused on the study of the electrochemical remediation of kaolin artificially spiked with a miscellaneous of five alkanes (C12H26, C13H28, C14H30, C16H34, C18H38), namely C12-C18. Kaolin was selected as a model reproducible, low-buffering, and low-permeability clay and the mixture C12-C18 as a hazardous model of petrol hydrocarbon compounds. The effect of several operative conditions, including the E intensity, type of technology, presence of supporting electrolyte, was investigated. It was found that adopted low E values can simultaneously mobilize and degrade in situ the C12-C18 mixture and that the shorten the chain compound, the easier the remediation efficiency, R

Conversion of CO2 to formic acid in a microfluidic electrochemical cell with and without supporting electrolyte

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid or formate (FA) is considered an interesting route to valorize CO2 effluents. Here, we have performed the conversion of CO2 to FA in an undivided microchannel electrochemical reactor characterized by very small inter-electrode distances (75–250 μm) using Na2SO4 as supporting electrolyte (SE). It was found that the use of the microfluidic cell allows to work both in the presence and in the absence of SE with lower cell potentials with respect to conventional cells and to obtain significant conversions per pass of CO2 to FA. The effect of many parameters, such as distance between electrodes, flow rate, current density, concentration of Na2SO4 and pH, was studied. In particular, it was shown that the production of FA increases by reducing the concentrations of Na2SO4 and it presents the maximum value in the absence of it

Effects of a Lactobacillus paracasei B21060 based synbiotic on steatosis, insulin signaling and toll-like receptor expression in rats fed a high-fat diet.

Insulin resistance (IR) has been identified as crucial pathophysiological factor in the development and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although mounting evidence suggests that perturbation of gut microflora exacerbates the severity of chronic liver diseases, therapeutic approaches using synbiotic has remained overlooked. Here, we show that a synbiotic composed by Lactobacillus paracasei B21060 plus arabinogalactan and fructo-oligosaccharides lessens NAFLD progression in a rat model of high fat feeding. IR and steatosis were induced by administration of high fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks. Steatosis and hepatic inflammation, Toll-like receptor (TLR) pattern, glucose tolerance, insulin signaling and gut permeability were studied. Liver inflammatory markers were down-regulated in rats receiving the synbiotic, along with an increased expression of nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors and expression of downstream target genes. The synbiotic improved many aspects of IR, such as fasting response, hormonal homeostasis and glycemic control. Indeed it prevented the impairment of hepatic insulin signaling, reducing the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 in Ser 307 and down-regulating suppressor of cytokine signaling 3. Gene expression analysis revealed that in the liver the synbiotic reduced cytokines synthesis and restored the HFD-dysregulated TLR 2, 4 and 9 mRNAs toward a physiological level of expression. The synbiotic preserved gut barrier integrity and reduced the relative amount of Gram-negative Enterobacteriales and Escherichia coli in colonic mucosa. Overall, our data indicate that the L. paracasei B21060 based synbiotic is effective in reducing the severity of liver injury and IR associated with high fat intake, suggesting its possible therapeutic/preventive clinical utilization

Preliminary Evidence of the Differential Expression of Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Kawasaki Disease and SARS-CoV-2-Associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a postinfectious sequela of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with some clinical features overlapping with Kawasaki disease (KD). Our research group and others have highlighted that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 can trigger the activation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), which in turn induces inflammatory and immune reactions, suggesting HERVs as contributing factors in COVID-19 immunopathology. With the aim to identify new factors involved in the processes underlying KD and MIS-C, we analysed the transcriptional levels of HERVs, HERV-related genes, and immune mediators in children during the acute and subacute phases compared with COVID-19 paediatric patients and healthy controls. The results showed higher levels of HERV-W, HERV-K, Syn-1, and ASCT-1/2 in KD, MIS-C, and COV patients, while higher levels of Syn-2 and MFSD2A were found only in MIS-C patients. Moreover, KD and MIS-C shared the dysregulation of several inflammatory and regulatory cytokines. Interestingly, in MIS-C patients, negative correlations have been found between HERV-W and IL-10 and between Syn-2 and IL-10, while positive correlations have been found between HERV-K and IL-10. In addition, HERV-W expression positively correlated with the C-reactive protein. This pilot study supports the role of HERVs in inflammatory diseases, suggesting their interplay with the immune system in this setting. The elevated expression of Syn-2 and MFSD2A seems to be a distinctive trait of MIS-C patients, allowing to distinguish them from KD ones. The understanding of pathological mechanisms can lead to the best available treatment for these two diseases, limiting complications and serious outcomes

Butyrate Regulates Liver Mitochondrial Function, Efficiency, and Dynamics in Insulin-Resistant Obese Mice

Fatty liver, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction are key pathophysiological features of insulin resistance and obesity. Butyrate, produced by fermentation in the large intestine by gut microbiota, and its synthetic derivative, the N-(1-carbamoyl-2-phenyl-ethyl) butyramide, FBA, have been demonstrated to be protective against insulin resistance and fatty liver. Here, hepatic mitochondria were identified as the main target of the beneficial effect of both butyrate-based compounds in reverting insulin resistance and fat accumulation in diet-induced obese mice. In particular, butyrate and FBA improved respiratory capacity and fatty acid oxidation, activated the AMPK-acetyl-CoA carboxylase pathway, and promoted inefficient metabolism, as shown by the increase in proton leak. Both treatments consistently increased utilization of substrates, especially fatty acids, leading to the reduction of intracellular lipid accumulation and oxidative stress. Finally, the shift of the mitochondrial dynamic toward fusion by butyrate and FBA resulted in the improvement not only of mitochondrial cell energy metabolism but also of glucose homeostasis. In conclusion, butyrate and its more palatable synthetic derivative, FBA, modulating mitochondrial function, efficiency, and dynamics, can be considered a new therapeutic strategy to counteract obesity and insulin resistance