Geological 3D modeling for excavation activity in an underground marble quarry in the Apuan Alps (Italy)

The three-dimensional laser scanning technique has recently become common in diverse working environments. Even in geology, where further development is needed, this technique is increasingly useful in tackling various problems such as stability investigations or geological and geotechnical monitoring. Three-dimensional laser scanning supplies detailed and complete geometrical information in short working times, as a result of the acquisition of a large number of data-points that accurately model the detected surfaces. Moreover, it is possible to combine these data with high quality photographic images so as to provide important information for geological applications, as follows. A working approach, that combines terrestrial laser scanning and traditional geological surveys, is presented. A three-dimensional model, that includes information about the geological structure in an underground quarry in the Apuan Alps, is realized. This procedure is adaptable to other geological contexts, and because of its operating speed and accuracy it is invaluable for optimal excavation, in which a proper planning of quarrying activity is vital for safety and commercial reasons. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the personnel of the Romana Quarry and particularly Geol. Massimo Corniani. This paper was possible because of support from the Tuscany Region Research Project known as “Health and safety in the quarries of ornamental stones – SECURCAVE”

Magnetic-Oriented Nickel Particles and Nickel-Coated Carbon Nanotubes: An Efficient Tool for Enhancing Thermal Conductivity of PDMS Composites

In this study, PDMS composites are thermally cured with nickel particles and nickel-coated carbon nanotubes as fillers. Both fillers are oriented with the aim to increase the thermal conductivity of the silicone polymer network, due to the formation of a continuous thermal path. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) gives a picture of the polymer network's morphology, proving the effective alignment of the nickel particles. Rheology and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) studies confirm the full curing of the silicon network and no influence in the curing kinetics of the type and content of fillers and their orientation. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and tensile analysis show instead different thermo-mechanical behavior of the polymer network due to the presence of different fillers, different fillers percentage, and orientation. Finally, the thermal transmittance coefficient (k) is studied by means of hot disk analysis, revealing the increment of almost 200% due to magnetic filler orientation

One year in review 2020:comorbidities, diagnosis and treatment of primary Sjogren's syndrome

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a complex and heterogeneous disorder characterised by a wide spectrum of glandular and extra-glandular features. The discovery of novel biomarkers allowed to characterise the disease not only phenotypically on the basis of clinical presentation, but also on the basis of the endotype. Moreover, a better stratification of patients has important value in the evaluation of mechanisms underlying the risk of lymphoproliferative disorders in these patients. Finally, novel targeted therapies may open new possibilities for the application of personalised medicine in pSS

One year in review 2020:comorbidities, diagnosis and treatment of primary Sjogren's syndrome

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a complex and heterogeneous disorder characterised by a wide spectrum of glandular and extra-glandular features. The discovery of novel biomarkers allowed to characterise the disease not only phenotypically on the basis of clinical presentation, but also on the basis of the endotype. Moreover, a better stratification of patients has important value in the evaluation of mechanisms underlying the risk of lymphoproliferative disorders in these patients. Finally, novel targeted therapies may open new possibilities for the application of personalised medicine in pSS

Coating of bioactive glasses with chitosan: The effects of the glass composition and coating method on the surface properties, including preliminary in vitro results

Two bioactive glasses were coated with chitosan: SCNB belongs to the SiO2-CaO-Na2O system, and SCNA has the addition of Al2O3 to enhance chemical stability. Different coating methods were compared: direct physical attachment, surface activation through tresyl chloride, and polydopamine as a linker. The samples were char-acterized through SEM-EDS, contact angle measurements, FTIR, zeta potential titrations, tape tests, in vitro precipitation of hydroxylapatite (bioactivity), and cell cultures (RAW 264.7 and UMR-106) on some selected samples. Direct physical attachment (in acetic acid) or use of polydopamine allowed complete surface coverage, while it dropped to one-quarter on both glasses by using tresyl chloride. The coating had a contact angle of about 80 degrees and it well showed typical functional groups (FTIR). The coatings on SCNA were chemically and mechan-ically stable (classified as 4-5B by the tape tests, partially maintained after soaking for 14 days), and showed an isoelectric point around 8. On SCNB, the coatings were unstable (classified as 0-3B, dissolved during soaking) but bioactivity was preserved. The coating affected the biological outcome of SCNA with M0/M1 polarization (1 day) and reduced viability of macrophages (3 days), while osteoblastic cells showed poor adhesion but maintained cell viability and osteogenic potential (3-7 days)

Differential X-ray attenuation in MA-XRF analysis for a non-invasive determination of gilding thickness

When investigating gilded artifacts or works of art, the determination of the gilding thickness plays a significant role in establishing restoration protocols or conservation strategies. Unfortunately, this is done by cross-sectioning the object, a destructive approach not always feasible. A non-destructive alternative, based on the differential attenuation of fluorescence radiation from the sample, has been developed in the past years, but due to the intrinsic random nature of X-rays, the study of single or few spots of an objects surface may yield biased information. Furthermore, considering the effects of both porosity and sample inhomogeneities is a practice commonly overlooked, which may introduce systematic errors. In order to overcome these matters, here we propose the extrapolation of the differential-attenuation method from single-spot X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements to macro-XRF (MA-XRF) scanning. In this work, an innovative algorithm was developed for evaluating the large amount of data coming from MA-XRF datasets and evaluate the thickness of a given overlapping layer over an area. This approach was adopted to study a gilded copper-based buckle from the sixteenth to seventeenth century found in Rome. The gilded object under investigation was also studied by other analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Previous results obtained from SEM-EDS were used to confront the data obtained with the proposed methodology and validate it. MA-XRF elemental distribution maps were fundamental in identifying and choosing sampling areas to calculate the thickness of the gilding layer, avoiding lead islands present in the sample that could negatively influence the results. Albeit the large relative standard deviation, the mean thickness values fell within those found in literature and those obtained from previous studies with SEM-EDS. Surface fissure has been found to deeply affect the results obtained, an aspect that is often disregarded

Spectroscopic and Morphological Studies of Metal-Organic and Metal-Free Dyes onto Titania Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

We have investigated the spectroscopic behavior of three different sensitizers adsorbed onto titania thin films in order to gain information both on the electron transfer process from dye to titania and on the anchorage of the chromophore onto the semiconductor. We have examined by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy the widely used ruthenium complex cis-di(thiocyanato)bis(2,2′-bipyridyl-4,4′-dicarboxylato)ruthenium(II) (N719), the more recently developed organic molecular 3-(5-(4-(diphenylamino)styryl)thiophen-2-yl)-2-cyanoacrylic acid (D5), and a push-pull zinc phthalocyanine sensitizer (ZnPc). Three type of titania films with different morphology, characterized by SEM and FT-IR measurement, were considered: a mesoporous transparent film deposited by spin-coating (TiMS), a semiopaque film deposited by doctor-blade from mesoporous titania (TiMS_DB) and a semiopaque film deposited by doctor-blade form commercial P25 titania (P25_DB). The use of TiMS is responsible for the adsorption of a higher amount of dye since the mesoporous structure allows increasing the interfacial area between dye and titania. Moreover, the fluorescence emission peak is weaker when the sensitizers are adsorbed onto TiMS. These findings suggest that mesostructured films could be considered the most promising substrates to realize photoanodes with a fast electron transfer process

Organization Culture as an Explanation for Employee Discipline Practices

Most supervisors dread employee discipline and often employ strategies not officially sanctioned by the organization. Poorly designed discipline systems cause this variation in discipline practices. Inconsistent discipline can cause losses in productivity and reduce employee morale. Extant literature offers little in the form of guidance for improving this important human resource activity. This article explore where normative literature on organizational culture may have explanatory value for understanding variation in discipline practices. The article suggests two groups of factors that have causal effects on discipline practices. The tangible factors are those describing the formal practices the organization wishes its employees to follow. The intangible factors provide cues for explaining why informal strategies emerge as successful practices for getting things done. Using this conception of organization culture, the article proposes hypotheses for future testing to validate the suspected influence of culture on decisions regarding employee discipline.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline