Management and communication of archaeological artefacts and architectural heritage using digital IS. What today? What next?

In this paper, we reviewed 20 years of development of 3D based IS to support archaeological and AH artefact knowledge, management and communication and their theoretical work basis. In detail, we illustrated our experiences showing the advantages and limits we had observed after extensive use. In conclusion, we have illustrated a new paradigm based on IoT-related technologies, potentially able to overcome existing problems, and the theoretical foundation of the new framework that has been designed, the concept of the Smart Cultural Object, sources and recipients of advanced information and related technological underpinning

Controls on pore systems and surfaces of the carbonate-rich Eagle Ford Formation

In all types of reservoirs, understanding the pore system is crucial to quantifying and predicting multiphase fluid storage and flow. The prediction of the fluid storage and flow helps to decipher the volume of the reservoir of interest, how easily accessible it is and how recoverable its reserves are. In the hydrocarbon industry, the focus of many recent studies is towards reserves in tight reservoirs. Improvements in the extraction methods such as the introduction of horizontal wells and hydraulic fracturing have indeed rendered these reserves economically viable. However, quantifying the pore system of fine-grained reservoirs is hugely challenging due to the mineralogical and textural heterogeneity at the microscale and the subnanometer to micrometer size of pores. In this work, the pore system and pore surfaces of the Cretaceous Eagle Ford Formation are characterised by analysing a set of 25 samples from outcrops and six wells with maturities of R0 0.4-0.5%, 0.9% and 1.2%. The aim of this work is to establish an analytical workflow for the characterisation of the pore system in tight reservoirs, also by highlighting the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach, often neglected. The set of samples was analysed using a varied range of techniques; X-Ray Diffraction, optical microscopy, Energy Dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and micro-CT scans were used to reconstruct the mineralogical and textural framework in which porosities occur. Petrographic studies show that the organic matter (OM) is a marine type II kerogen and that microfacies vary from finely laminated foraminiferal mudstones to packstones. SEM-EDS and Cathodo-luminescence (CL) techniques were used to reconstruct mineral paragenesis and OM evolution. SEM and Backscattered-SEM (BSEM) high resolution maps identified different pore types and showed how pores change with maturity. At R0 0.4-0.5% the main porosity types are interparticle, enclosed within the coccolithic matrix, whereas at R0 1.2% spherical OM pores smaller than 20 nm are more frequent, related to the thermal maturation of the OM. Pore sizes were calculated using a combination of SEM, N2 and CO2 gas adsorption and Mercury injection Porosimetry (MICP). Immature and oil window samples present pores larger (~2-100 nm) than samples in the gas maturity window(~1-40 nm). MICP analyses indicate a connected pore system in all the samples. Focussed Ion Beam (FIB)-SEM volumes show that at R0 0.4 to 0.9%, the pore system is connected through interparticle pores, whereas at R0 1.2%, the connectivity occurs through pore throats < 10 nm. Environmental SEM (ESEM) observations and Chemical Force Microscopy (CFM) studies at the nanoscale show that surface wettability depends on chemical variations of the fluid interacting with the pore surfaces, also validated with AFM-IR analyses, and on the pore surface mineralogy. AFM-IR studies also identified in situ chemical changes between different organic molecules and between the same organic molecules at increasing maturities. In summary, this work brings to light the necessity to use a combination of physical and chemical methods to define the parameters affecting the pore system and its evolution with time. Moreover, the use of state-of-the-art methods such as the AFM-IR has allowed to validate previous theories on the organic molecules behaviour and to suggest a new approach for further studies at the nanoscale of rock surfaces

“By Following Them, I Was Able to Identify Things I Shared With Them” : Conceptualizing How Social Media Use Influences Genderqueer Identity Development

Among young genderqueer people, social media can be used as a tool for gender exploration, building support systems, and identity validation. However, literature on how these processes are linked together over time to curate a holistic sense of identity is limited. Using a grounded theory framework, this study seeks to construct a model explaining how gender identity development is linearly influenced by social media use among young genderqueer (transgender, non-binary, genderfluid, etc.) individuals. 20 indepth interviews were conducted with genderqueer participants ranging in age from 18- 26 years old. Participants were recruited through personal contact, referrals, and social media posts. Findings indicate four major steps in identity development, all of which are influenced in varying degrees by social media use: 1. Realization, 2. Exploration, 3. Actualization, and 4. Solidification. The process of realization occurred in offline spaces for most participants, and exposure to genderqueer identities began to push participants to find more information on the subject. As participants began to explore their gender identity, they moved online, using social media to become familiar with queer identity nomenclature and seeking out genderqueer-specific content, usually given in first-hand accounts by other genderqueer people. Participants viewed this content reflexively and used it to better understand their own gender identity. Once participants had internally worked through their identity, they began to externalize their queer gender identity to others in their life. Many participants expressed that they used social media posts to share personal information related to changing aspects of their gender identity with large audiences at this point in their development. Additionally, a high level of importance was placed on the ability to control and curate who gender identity-related content was visible to online, with the goal being to create safe and comfortable spaces to explore and express one’s identity

Riduzionismo e neuroscienze: il dibattito filosofico recente

The purpose of this essay is to investigate how scholars considered the relationship between philosophy and neuroscience, by focusing both on a general point of view, and on the theme of consciousness. It then analyzes the thought of John Bickle, Patricia Churchland and Jesse Prinz with regard to their defence of the reductionist approach on one side and, on the other, that of Max Bennett, Peter Hacker and Alva Noë. This essay also aims at criticizing the claims of neuroscientific philosophers to dissolve the philosophical discourse by pointing out some key issues which are part and parcel of philosophy

Development of bioanalytical devices for the detection of ciguatoxins and the ciguatoxin producing genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa

La ciguatera (CFP) és una intoxicació alimentària que provoca símptomes gastrointestinals, cardíacs i neurològics que poden durar setmanes, mesos o fins i tot anys. És causada per la ingestió de peixos que contenen ciguatoxines (CTXs), compostos produïts per microalgues dels gèneres Gambierdiscus i Fukuyoa, les quals s'acumulen en els peixos i a través de les xarxes tròfiques. Aquesta tesi té com a objectiu proporcionar eines biotecnològiques per a la caracterització del risc de CFP i així garantir la seguretat alimentària i protegir la salut humana. Per aconseguir aquest objectiu, s'han desenvolupat tècniques d' extracció ràpida d'ADN i CTXs mitjançant l'ús de dispositius portàtils. A continuació, d'una banda, s'han utilitzat l'amplificació isotèrmica per polimerasa recombinasa (RPA) i la PCR amb cebadors amb cues per amplificar ADN dels gèneres Gambierdiscus i Fukuyoa i de les espècies G. australs and G. excentricus, i així detectar els productes de l'amplificació amb assajos i biosensors d'hibridació tipus sàndwich. Por una altra banda, s'han desenvolupat immunoassaigs i immunosensors a partir d'anticossos contra quatre CTXs pertanyents a dos grups de congèneres (CTX1B i CTX3C). Finalment, els sistemes desenvolupats s'han aplicat amb èxit a l'anàlisi de mostres naturals.La ciguatera (CFP) es una intoxicación alimentaria que provoca síntomas gastrointestinales, cardíacos y neurológicos que pueden durar semanas, meses o incluso años. Es causada por la ingestión de peces que contienen ciguatoxinas (CTXs), compuestos producidos por microalgas de los géneros Gambierdiscus y Fukuyoa, las cuales se acumulan en los peces y a través de las redes tróficas. Esta tesis tiene como objetivo proporcionar herramientas biotecnológicas para la caracterización del riesgo de CFP y así garantizar la seguridad alimentaria y proteger la salud humana. Para conseguir este objetivo, se han desarrollado técnicas de extracción rápida de ADN y CTXs mediante el uso de dispositivos portátiles. A continuación, por un lado, se han utilizado la amplificación isotérmica por polimerasa recombinasa (RPA) y la PCR con cebadores con colas para amplificar ADN de los géneros Gambierdiscus y Fukuyoa y de las especies G. australes and G. excentricus, y así detectar los productos de la amplificación con ensayos y biosensores de hibridación tipo sándwich. Por otro lado, se han desarrollado inmunoensayos e inmunosensores a partir de anticuerpos contra cuatro CTXs pertenecientes a dos grupos de congéneres (CTX1B y CTX3C). Por último, los sistemas desarrollados se han aplicado con éxito al análisis de muestras naturales.Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is a disease that causes gastrointestinal, cardiological and neurological symptoms that can last weeks, months or even years. It is caused by the ingestion of fish containing ciguatoxins (CTXs), compounds produced by microalgae of the genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa, which accumulate into fish flesh and through the food webs. This thesis aims at providing biotechnological tools for the characterization of the CFP risk in order to guarantee food safety and protect human health. To achieve this objective, fast extraction techniques for DNA and CTXs with the use of portable devices have been developed. Then, on the one hand, isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and PCR with tailed primers have been used to amplify DNA from the genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa and from the species G. australes and G. excentricus, amplicons that were subsequently detected with sandwich hybridization assays and biosensors. On the other hand, antibodies that target four main CTXs belonging to two groups of congeners (CTX1B and CTX3C) have been used in the development of immunoassays and immunosensors. Finally, the developed systems were successfully applied to the analysis of natural samples

KNOWLEDGE AND DOCUMENTATION OF RENAISSANCE WORKS OF ART: THE REPLICA OF THE “ANNUNCIATION” BY BEATO ANGELICO

The Annunciation by Guido di Pietro from Mugello, known as Beato Angelico, is a wide tempera painting with some fine gold foil placed on a wooden support, today hosted at the Museum of the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in San Giovanni Valdarno. On the occasion of the exhibition “Masaccio e Angelico. Dialogo sulla verità nella pittura”, the museum asked to the Department of Architecture at the University of Bologna to develop a digital high-resolution surrogate to favour deep investigations, to plan restoration and to simply tell the stories behind the artwork. Two tasks were accomplished: to let visitors discover the secrets in the painting and to let scholars study the artwork, to better understand the masterpiece. This paper introduces the outcomes of the research developed to digitize the Annunciation, following a dedicated pipeline developed to improve the fruition of its digital replica, originated from different input sources, and surrogating the user experience on the real object. This work presents a method for the 3D reconstruction of the surfaces based on different techniques for elements with different depth resolutions (i.e., the painting and the wooden frame) which combine photogrammetry and photometric stereo exploiting both procedures and pushing forward the boundaries of Gigapixel Imaging and photogrammetric-based 3D model representation

DISPLAYING DANTE’S DIVINE COMEDY MINIATED MANUSCRIPTS IN EXHIBITIONS

Ancient manuscripts are part of many collections belonging to historic libraries and museums: due to their fragile nature and to the difficulties to display most of their contents during exhibitions, their study is often complicated for scholars who also need generally special permissions to examine them, mostly for a limited time window. Beginning from these premises, this paper introduces the outcomes of the digital replication and presentation of three manuscripts related to Dante’s Divine Comedy, as proposed on a real exhibition, “Dall’Alma Mater al Mondo. Dante at the University of Bologna”, held in 2021. Some of the principles related to the production of their replicas and the fruition of their contents through dedicated applications targeted to visitors and scholars are presented, with care to the reproduction of details such as the ability to explore 3D replicas of detailed elected pages or to browse many of them on dedicated touch screens

A design framework for Smart Cultural Objects

none3openMarco, Gaiani; Fabrizio Ivan Apollonio; Berta, MartiniMarco, Gaiani; Fabrizio Ivan, Apollonio; Martini, Bert