Heritage and Information Communication Technologies. “The Glorious Return”, from Little Mont Moncenisio to Bobbio Pellice: a tourist-cultural route

The heritage summarizes the cultural, material and immaterial inheritance which refers to a local and community context expressing its characteristics, uniqueness and potential. The cultural route - container of heritage and structural elements of an area - contributes to the construction of the tourist services and the heritage image. It is oriented towards new musts in the tourism planning and therefore it generates emotional experiences, fosters creativity and participation, it provides different models of fruition and several reading and interpretation tools of the heritage.The attention to these issues  led us to analyze the itinerary "The glorious return " (part of the wider European itinerary "The ways of the Huguenots and Waldensians") describing the technological applications that have been made such as the creation of a GIS web-site, a multimedia GeoGuide and an application "Augmented Reality for iPhones".The heritage summarizes the cultural, material and immaterial inheritance which refers to a local and community context expressing its characteristics, uniqueness and potential. The cultural route - container of heritage and structural elements of an area - contributes to the construction of the tourist services and the heritage image. It is oriented towards new musts in the tourism planning and therefore it generates emotional experiences, fosters creativity and participation, it provides different models of fruition and several reading and interpretation tools of the heritage. The attention to these issues  led us to analyze the itinerary "The glorious return " (part of the wider European itinerary "The ways of the Huguenots and Waldensians") describing the technological applications that have been made such as the creation of a GIS web-site, a multimedia GeoGuide and an application "Augmented Reality for iPhones"

Politicizing the virus. Sectarian tensions in the middle east at the time of Covid-19

Politicizzare il virus. Tensioni settarie in Medio Oriente al tempo del Covid-19. – Il Covid-19 ha esacerbato le tensioni settarie in Medio Oriente dopo la sua diffusione in Iran. Dal 24 febbraio Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar e Arabia Saudita hanno annunciato i loro primi casi di infezione imputando- ne la causa a viaggiatori e/o pellegrini iraniani. Il presente saggio ha voluto dimostrare, anche attraverso carte epidemiologiche relative ai casi e all‟incidenza del virus nelle 31 province iraniane, l‟insostenibilità dell‟ipotesi che la diffusione del virus sia unicamente legata al movimento di pellegrini sciiti all‟interno dell‟Iran e, più in generale, del Medio Oriente

Proanthocyanidins from Vitis vinifera inhibit oxidative stress-induced vascular impairment in pulmonary arteries from diabetic rats

Background Vitis vinifera L. (grape seed extract) is a natural source of proanthocyanidins with antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activities. Hypothesis Grape seed extract supplementation may prevent vascular endothelium impairment associated with diabetes mellitus in rat pulmonary artery. Study design We evaluated endothelial function of rat pulmonary artery ex-vivo at the intermediate stage (4 weeks) of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus. We also evaluated the protective effect of grape seed extract administered daily, beginning the day after diabetes induction, or 15 days after diabetes induction, until the day of sacrifice. In addition, we compared the effect of grape seed extract supplementation with that of vitamin C. Methods Rats were made diabetic with streptozotocin (STZ, 65\ua0mg/kg i.v.). Thirty days later rats were sacrificed and pulmonary vessels reactivity and endothelial function compared to that of age-matched healthy animals. Results Concentration-response curves to ACh, NE, sodium nitroprusside (NO donor), but not to histamine and iloprost (prostacyclin analog), were significantly altered 4 weeks after STZ-injection. Antioxidant supplementation (3\ua0mg/kg/day) with either vitamin C or grape seed extract, starting the day after diabetes induction, significantly improved vasodilation to ACh and SNP. Norepinephrine-induced contractions were preserved by grape seed extract, but not vitamin C supplementation. Conversely, vitamin C but not grape seed extract showed beneficial effects contrasting the loss of body weight in diabetic animals. Abnormal vascular function was not reversed when antioxidant supplementations were postponed 15 days after the induction of diabetes. Conclusions This study provides scientific support for the therapeutic potential of an antioxidant therapy in endothelial impairment associated with diabetes. A daily supplementation of grape seed proanthocyanidins and/or vitamin C given at the earlier stage of disease may have a complementary role in the pharmacological therapy of diabetes and pulmonary vascular dysfunction

Practices of Re-naming and Re-semanticizing places in Ibn Gubayr’s Journey (Rihla, XII century)

Pratiche di ridenominazione e risemantizzazione dei luoghi nel Viaggio di Ibn Gubayr (Rihla). Il presente lavoro prende spunto dal resoconto di viaggio di Ibn Gubayr (1145-1217) per dimostrare che la presenza araba in Sicilia ha contribuito a risemantizzare questo spazio geografico, dotandolo di significati informati dalla cultura e dalle percezioni islamiche. Riletti oggi, i toponimi offrono un punto di partenza per ricostruire lo spazio arabo nell’isola. La ricerca combina tre ambiti: la letteratura di viaggio, la toponomastica e la cartografia storica e digital

Passaggio in Oriente

Protagoniste di queste pagine sono le donne: soggetti deboli e di secondo piano, sottomesse a divieti, convenzioni culturali, sociali e pregiudizi, ma al tempo stesso queste limitazioni le rendevano forti e “ribelli”, capaci di scardinare con tenacia il loro ruolo sociale e culturale, divenendo viaggiatrici, studiose, ricercatrici, archeologhe, o semplicemente mogli ispiratrici al fianco di mariti con ruoli politici dell’Europa tra XVIII e inizio del XX secolo

Using the electron spin resonance to detect the functional centers in materials for sensor devices

AbstractThe paper reports and comments the results of several electron spin resonance investigations, performed on semiconductor oxides for gas sensing. The main aspects, related to the comparison between spectroscopic and electric data, are concerning on (i) the role of the oxide defects in interacting with the gas atmosphere; (ii) the origin of the sensing enhancement, which follows the doping of the oxide by transition metal ions; and (iii) the effects of different particle morphology and of the controlled particle shape on the sensing functionality. The electron spin resonance results have been associated, when possible, to those deriving from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in order to investigate the electronic configuration of the transition metal centers. Special emphasis has been deserved to the oxide synthesis procedures, in several cases well related to the electrical response. The data have been drawn from several studies, performed in different time periods, and have been compared to suggest a possible common interpretation of the sensing mechanism, based on either electronic or morphological properties

A Kinetic Approach to Photomineralization of Methane in Air by Membranes Based on TiO2/WO3

Photomineralization of methane in air (10.0-1,000 ppm (mass/volume) of C) at 100% relative humidity (dioxygen as oxygen donor), was systematically studied at 318 ± 3 K, in an annular laboratory-scale reactor, by photocatalytic membranes immobilising titanium dioxide and tungsten trioxide as co-photocatalysts. Kinetics of both substrate disappearance, to yield intermediates, and total organic carbon (TOC) disappearance, to yield carbon dioxide, were followed. A kinetic model was employed, from which, by a set of differential equations, four final optimised parameters, k1 and K1, k2 and K2, were calculated, able to fit the whole kinetic profile adequately. Modelling of quantum yields, as a function of substrate concentration and irradiance, as well as of concentration of photocatalysts, was carried out very satisfactorily. Kinetics of hydroxyl radicals reacting between themselves, leading to hydrogen peroxide, other than with substrate or intermediates leading to mineralization, were considered, paralleled by second competition kinetics involving superoxide radical anion. When using appropriate blends of the two photocatalysts, limiting quantum yields ∞ values increase considerably and approach the maximum allowable value for the investigated molecule, in a much wider range of irradiances than that shown by the single catalysts mainly at low irradiances. This may be interpreted by strong competition kinetics of superoxide radicals generated by the catalyst defects, in the corresponding range of high irradiances. By this way, operation at high irradiance values is possible, without losing any efficiency for the mineralization process