Irradiance Impact on Pollution by Integrating Nephelometer Measurements

Three-wavelength integrating nephelometer measurements combined with short- (SW) and long-wave (LW) irradiance measurements were used to investigate the irradiance effects on the daily evolution of the particulate matter (PM) at the ground level, and contribute to the characterization of the land–atmosphere interaction in pollution dispersal. The integrating nephelometer measurements have allowed characterizing the daily changes of the PM optical and microphysical properties by the aerosol scattering coefficient (σp) and the scattering Angstrom coefficient (a). We found that on a daily basis σp reached the minimum values when the irradiance reached the maximum values, since the convective motions, which favor the particle dispersion at the surface, increase with the irradiance. The a value, which is commonly used as qualitative indicator of the dominant particle size, has allowed evaluating the irradiance effects on the mean particle size distribution at the surface and revealed that the irradiance increase favors mainly the dispersion of the ground-level fine particles. Particle size-distribution measurements supported the last comment. Measurements were performed from 4 to 10 May 2015 when the study site was affected by a Saharan dust outbreak, to also evaluate the impact of long-range transported particles on the daily evolution of the ground-level particle's properties and the SW and LW irradiance

Vector quantization for spatiotemporal sub-band coding

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1990.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-115).by Pasquale Romano, Jr.M.S

Estimation of mineral dust direct radiative forcing at the European Aerosol Research Lidar NETwork site of Lecce, Italy, during the ChArMEx/ADRIMED summer 2013 campaign: Impact of radiative transfer model spectral resolutions

© 2016. American Geophysical UnionA field campaign took place in the western and central Mediterranean basin on June–July 2013 in the framework of the ChArMEx (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/)/ADRIMED (Aerosol Direct Radiative Impact on the regional climate in the MEDiterranean region, http://adrimed.sedoo.fr/) project to characterize the aerosol direct radiative forcing (DRF) over the Mediterranean. This work focuses on the aerosol DRF estimations at Lecce (40.33°N; 18.11°E; 30¿m above sea level) during the Saharan dust outbreak that affected southern Italy from 20 to 24 June 2013. The Global Atmospheric Model (GAME) and the Two-Stream (TS) model were used to calculate the instantaneous aerosol DRF in the short-wave (SW) and long-wave (LW) spectral ranges, at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). The main differences between the two models were due to the different numerical methods to solve the radiative transfer (RT) equations and to the more detailed spectral resolution of GAME compared to that of TS. 167 and 115 subbands were used by GAME in the 0.3–4 and 4–37¿µm spectral ranges, respectively. Conversely, the TS model used 8 and 11 subbands in the same spectral ranges, respectively. We found on 22 June that the SW-DRFs from the two models were in good agreement, both at the TOA and at the surface. The instantaneous SW-DRFs at the surface and at the TOA varied from -50 to -34¿W¿m-2 and from -6 to +8¿W¿m-2, respectively, while the surface and TOA LW-DRFs ranged between +3.5 and +8.0¿W¿m-2 and between +1.7 and +6.9¿W¿m-2, respectively. In particular, both models provided positive TOA SW-DRFs at solar zenith angles smaller than 25° because of the mixing of the desert dust with anthropogenic pollution during its transport to the study site. In contrast, the TS model overestimated the GAME LW-DRF up to about 5 and 7.5 times at the surface and at the TOA, respectively, when the dust particle contribution was largest. The low spectral resolution of the real (n) and imaginary (k) refractive index values was mainly responsible for the LW-DRF overestimates of the TS model. However, we found that the “optimization” of the n and k values at 8.75 and 11.5¿µm was sufficient in this study to obtain a satisfactory agreement between the LW-DRFs from the two models, both at the TOA and at the surface. The impact of the spectral dependence of the water vapor absorption coefficients on the estimation of the flux without aerosol has also been addressed. Paper results did not reveal any significant impact due to the different numerical methods used by the two models to solve the RT equations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Contribution to the phytosociological characterization of the forest vegetation of the Sicani Mountains (inland of north-western Sicily).

The results of a phytosociological survey on the main forest vegetation aspects of the Sicani Mountains (inland of north-western Sicily), in turn included in the homonymous Regional Park recently established, are presented. This expansive territory (43,687 hectares), located between the Agrigento and Palermo provinces, is mainly composed by carbonate and silico-carbonate formations of the Sicani Units, whose highest peaks are represented by Mount Cammarata (1578 m a.s.l.), Mount delle Rose (1436 m), Pizzo Cangialoso (1420 m) and Mount Pernice (1393 m). Under the bioclimatic aspect, the area falls within the thermo- and supramediterranean belts, with ombrotype ranging from upper dry (annual average rainfall of about 550 mm) in the southern and western slopes, to upper subhumid (annual average rainfall of 800-1000 mm) – sometimes tending towards the wet – in the cacuminal part of the aforecited elevations. Many plant communities were identified and surveyed, several of which are described as new syntaxa; in particular they are some maquis associations [1) Rhamno alaterni-Euphorbietum dendroidis Géhu & Biondi 1997, with the subassociations typicum, phlomidetosum fruticosae (Brullo & Marcenò 1985) comb. nov., rhamnetosum oleoidis (Brullo & Marcenò 1985) comb. nov., celtidetosum aetnensis (Brullo & Marcenò 1985) comb. nov., euphorbietosum bivonae (Gianguzzi, Ilardi & Raimondo 1996) comb. nov.; 2) Ampelodesmo mauritanici-Juniperetum turbinatae Gianguzzi et al. 2012, with the subass. cistetosum cretici Gianguzzi et al. 2012; 3) Asparago albi-Artemisietum arborescentis ass. nova; 4) Euphorbio characiae-Anagyridetum phoetidis ass. nova, with the subass. asparagetosum albae subass.nova and loniceretosum implexae subass. nova; 5) Pistacio terebinthi-Celtidetum aetnensis Gianguzzi, Cusimano & Romano 2014, subass. typicum and phlomidetosum fruticosae Gianguzzi, Cusimano & Romano 2014)], a laurel oak community [Acantho mollis-Lauretum nobilis Gianguzzi, D’Amico & Romano 2010], some holm oak communities [7) Ampelodesmo mauritanici-Quercetum ilicis ass. nova hoc loco, with the subass.typicum subass. nova and viburnetosum tini subass. nova); 8) Sorbo torminalis-Quercetum ilicis ass. nova], some deciduous oak communities with Quercus virgiliana [9) Oleo oleaster-Quercetum virgilianae Brullo 1984; 10) Sorbo torminalis-Quercetum virgilianae Brullo, Minissale, Signorello & Spampinato 1996], a maple community with Acer pseudoplatanus [11) Sorbo graecae-Aceretum pseudoplatani Gianguzzi & La Mantia 2004], a riparian community with Salix sp. pl. [12) Salicetum albo-pedicellatae Brullo & Spampinato 1990] and some shrubby mantles [13) Hyperico majoris-Rubetum ulmifolii ass. nova; 14) Roso corymbiferae-Rubetum ulmifolii ass. nova; 15) Euphorbio characiae-Prunetum spinosae ass. nova; 16) Roso siculae-Prunetum spinosae ass. nova; 17) Crataegetum laciniatae Brullo & Marcenò in Brullo 1984]. A new alliance with a Tyrrhenian centre of gravitation (Asparago acutifolii-Laurion nobilis, in turn ascribed to the class Quercetea ilicis and to the order Quercetalia ilicis), within which the Laurus nobilis microwoods gravitating in the Italo-Tyrrhenian biogeographical Province are framed, is also proposed

Encapsulated proanthocyanidins as novel ingredients

Proanthocyanidins (OPC) are polyphenolic compounds, derivatives of flavan-3-ol flavonoids. They are abundant in grape seeds and skins, and contribute to most of the polyphenols in red wine. Proanthocyanidins from grape seed have been reported to show various health as well as technological properties. Aim of the study was to investigate the coating efficiency of maltodextrin (MD) in different molecular ratios with arabic gum (AG) on encapsulation of phenolic compounds extracted from grape pomace. The present study was planned to examine the contributions of MD, AG and OPC to the structural architecture of encapsulated OPC by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), their encapsulation efficiency and their functionality (antioxidant activity and bioavailability) by spectrophotometric assays and mass spectrometry analysis (MALDI-TOF-MS). The effect of encapsulated OPC on in vitro polyphenol digestibility was also evaluated according to the Infogest protocol. Encapsulated products were obtained by a mild ultrasonication method in controlled conditions based on the phenomenon of acoustic cavitation, and then freeze-dried. The content of coating material had significant (p>0.05) impact on particle morphology of spray-dried suspensions. SEM analysis of samples of AG/MD and AG/MD/OPC were similar and exhibited cracks and sharp edges, but samples with OPC showed a more enclosed structure. Total and Surface phenolic content of microcapsules showed the best encapsulation efficiency for samples with 4% of AG and 12% of MD. MALDI-TOF-MS characterization of encapsulated samples showed integrity of OPC components in the microcapsules with no changes with respect to original OPC. The in vitro digestion experiments showed also that composition and functionality of encapsulated OPC were better preserved along gastrointestinal digestion process. In conclusion, OPC microcapsules could be utilized both as nutraceuticals and additives in various food application

Effect of added enzymes and quinoa flour on dough characteristics and sensory quality of a gluten free bakery product

The study is aimed at developing a new cereal-based product, with increased nutritional quality, by using quinoa flour. The effect of the use of transglutaminase (TGase) and proteolytic enzymes on the microstructure, properties and in vitro digestion of gluten-free bakery products based on quinoa flour was evaluated. Microstructural results evaluated by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed that the quinoa starch granules are rather small (0.4–2 μm) and the presence of TGase induced significantly changes in dough and baked samples microstructures. The overall acceptability of the breads was improved by TGase addition. The results achieved showed that these enzymes have different effects on the bread characteristics and may improve properties of formulations, setting the basis for development of baked quinoa products

Hyperglycemia in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes Leads to Persistent Inflammation and Tissue Damage Following Uveitis Due to Reduced Levels of Ciliary Body Heme Oxygenase-1

This study investigated the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and the endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in diabetic streptozotocin (STZ)-hyperglycemic rats. STZ-hyperglycemic rats had impaired levels of the enzyme HO-1 within the ciliary bodies if compared with the nondiabetic rats. STZ-hyperglycemic rats also predisposed the eye to produce high levels of both the cytokines IL-1β and CXCL8. Subsequent EIU further and significantly (P < .01) increased the cytokines production, an effect partly prevented by hemin treatment. Most importantly, hemin, an inducer of heme oxygenase expression and activity, recovered the huge number of infiltrated polymorphonuclear leukocytes PMN within the ciliary bodies associated with STZ-hyperglycemic state and EIU damage. Impairment of the stress-sensitive enzyme HO-1 in STZ-hyperglycemic rats increases and prolongs the inflammatory response to EIU

Beyond Bitcoin -- Part II: Blockchain-based systems without mining

Nowadays the decentralized transaction ledger functionality implemented through the blockchain technology is at the highest international interest because of the prospects both on opportunities and risks. There are a number of advantages inherently embedded in blockchain-based systems, and a pletora of new applications and services relying on concepts and technologies inspired by those of Bitcoin are emerging. But at the same time some weaknesses and limitations are evident, and we argue that they stem mainly from the fact that the blockchain is managed through mining. In this work we pointed out the unsustainability of mining in case of massive large-scale blockchain-based system. Moreover, after isolating the basic concepts behind mining, we sketched possible alternatives for the maintenance of blockchain-based systems. We considered security issues, incentives, as well as competitive and collaborative opportunities, and we proposed a framework of concepts and algorithms to implement blockchain-based systems for different contexts

Beyond Bitcoin - Part I: A critical look at blockchain-based systems

After more than six years from the launch of Bitcoin, it has become ev- ident that the decentralized transaction ledger functionality implemented through the blockchain technology can be used not only for cryptocurrencies, but to register, confirm and transfer any kind of contract and property. In this work we analyze the most relevant functionalities and known issues of this technology, with the intent of pointing out the possible behaviours that are not as efficient as they should when thinking with a broader outlook. Our analysis would be the starting point for the introduction of a new approach to blockchain creation and management, which will be the subject of a forthcoming paper

Human footprints from Italy: the state of the art

The ichnological record of human traces from Italy is rich and quite diversified. In recent years, the development and dissemination of various methodologies and technological facilities has implemented the re-analysis of this record, enabling to reach different, sometimes deeper, interpretations favoured by the integration of external data, both geological and palaeontological. The oldest occurrence of the human ichnological record from Italy is represented by the Middle Pleistocene ‘Devil’s Trails’ ichnosite in the “Foresta” area (Roccamonfina volcano, southern Italy), depicting human trackmakers trampling a pyroclastic flow deposit while descending a slope about 349 ka. Most of the record is Holocene in age and is constituted by the Upper Palaeolithic Grotta della Bàsura site (Toirano, northern Italy, about 14 ky), the protohistoric sites of Afragola, Nola and Palma, the area of Pompei and the site of Aosta. The record is enriched by the ichnological evidences preserved in military structures of Trentino region (northern Italy) during the First World War. An updated report and discussion of these sites is here provided.Fil: Avanzini, Marco. Museo Delle Scienze di Trento; ItaliaFil: Citton, Paolo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Sede Alto Valle. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología; ArgentinaFil: Mietto, Paolo. Università di Padova; ItaliaFil: Panarello, Adolfo. Università di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale; ItaliaFil: Raia, Pasquale. Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; ItaliaFil: Romano, Marco. Università di Roma; ItaliaFil: Salvador, Isabella. Museo Delle Scienze di Trento; Itali