GEOMATIC CONTRIBUTION FOR THE RESTORATION PROJECT OF THE VALENTINO CASTLE GREEN ROOM. FROM DATA ACQUISITION TO INTEGRATED DOCUMENTATION

In the framework of restoration operations, valuable assistance can be supplied from innovative techniques and methods developed in the field of Geomatics. Over the years, this continuous collaboration has produced synergistic and interdisciplinary results that have been successfully contributing to heritage conservation and valorisation. In the case of the current research, thorough multisensory investigations have been performed in order to provide a deeper knowledge of the Green Room of the Valentino Castle in Turin and to support the planning of the future restoration works that will involve this valuable asset. In the framework of this experience, four LiDAR systems have been employed in order to evaluate the different results obtainable from the sensors. Additionally, a complete photogrammetric close-range survey has been carried out, and some tests were completed using a hyperspectral camera. The workflow followed during the current research is described in this paper, and a comparison between the obtained outputs is proposed, focusing on the characteristics of these metric products, useful and sometimes necessary in the framework of the restoration project. Besides, some considerations on the advantages and the issues connected with the use of these reality-based data as a starting point for HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling) model generation are proposed, along with some observations about the potentialities of a photogrammetric co-registration approach using spectrum technologies for deterioration/decay detection and monitoring of heritage

Effect of different water salinity levels on the germination of imazamox-resistant and sensitive weedy rice and cultivated rice

Weeds that have become resistant to herbicides may threaten rice production. Rice cultivation is mainly carried out in coastal and river delta areas that often suffer salinity problems. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of salinity upon germination and the root and shoot seedling growth of Italian weedy rice and cultivated rice (Oryza sativa), and to find a possible correlation between salinity and herbicide resistance. Seed germination tests were conducted in Petri dishes on four imazamox-sensitive and one resistant weedy rice populations and two rice varieties: Baldo (conventional) and CL80 (imidazolinone-resistant Clearfield® variety). Different salt concentrations were tested: 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 mM NaCl. Germination percentage, germination speed, seedling root and shoot length were affected by increasing the salt concentration in all tested populations and varieties. The germination percentage was in general more affected in resistant weedy rice and CL80. In resistant weedy rice this was partially compensated by a faster germination up to 100 mM. In terms of seedling root and shoot length, CL80 and Baldo showed the highest tolerance to salt; resistant weedy rice was not able to produce seedling roots and shoots at concentrations > 300 mM

Information, formation and training for the maintenance operations: the lesson learned from fatal accidents

The list of possible machinery / equipment-related injuries is as long as it is worrying; they represent a non-negligible part of the total accidents in most industrial sectors, in terms of both numbers and severity, in normal conditions and during the maintenance operations. Lack of maintenance or inadequate maintenance can lead to dangerous situations, accidents and health problems; but, at the same time, maintenance itself is a high-risk activity due to special hazards resulting from the particular nature of the work. Moreover, the workers involved are more likely than other employees directly exposed to the risks, since direct contact between the worker and the machinery to be maintained cannot be substantially reduced

Die Wirksamkeit leistungsstarker Hydraulikbagger als ein Kriterium zur Bestimmung der Maschinengrösse

A method developed only recently for determining the main characteristics of hydraulic excavators which are suitable for fulfilling planned production requirements was confirmed by the “Dipartimento di Georisorse e territorio” of the “Politecnico di Torino” when it was applied in trials carried put at the Balangero opencast mine. The new R994 hydraulic excavator fulfilled the desired production requirements satisfactorily under all working conditions. Further confirmation of the general validity of the correlation (interrelationship) on which the method of selection is based was provided by trials with a smaller R 984 hydraulic excavator

In Vitro Production of Calcified Bone Matrix onto Wool Keratin Scaffolds via Osteogenic Factors and Electromagnetic Stimulus

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) has drawn attention as a potential tool to improve the ability of bone biomaterials to integrate into the surrounding tissue. We investigated the effects of PEMF (frequency, 75 Hz; magnetic induction amplitude, 2 mT; pulse duration, 1.3 ms) on human osteoblast-like cells (SAOS-2) seeded onto wool keratin scaffolds in terms of proliferation, differentiation, and production of the calcified bone extracellular matrix. The wool keratin scaffold offered a 3D porous architecture for cell guesting and nutrient diffusion, suggesting its possible use as a filler to repair bone defects. Here, the combined approach of applying a daily PEMF exposure with additional osteogenic factors stimulated the cells to increase both the deposition of bone-related proteins and calcified matrix onto the wool keratin scaffolds. Also, the presence of SAOS-2 cells, or PEMF, or osteogenic factors did not influence the compression behavior or the resilience of keratin scaffolds in wet conditions. Besides, ageing tests revealed that wool keratin scaffolds were very stable and showed a lower degradation rate compared to commercial collagen sponges. It is for these reasons that this tissue engineering strategy, which improves the osteointegration properties of the wool keratin scaffold, may have a promising application for long term support of bone formation in vivo

SVILUPPO E RISULTATI DI UNA METODICA COMPUTER ASSISTITA PER L’ANALISI APPROFONDITA DI EVENTI INFORTUNISTICI LAVORO CORRELATI

In Italia si deve tutt’ora registrare un elevato numero di eventi mortali lavoro correlati, per la stragrande maggioranza in contesti non ascrivibili a scenari di incidente rilevante, e raramente associabili a guasto di impianti ed attrezzature correttamente scelti, usati e mantenuti. Un approccio efficace di prevenzione non può che fare riferimento all’analisi dei dati storici, ad integrazione della quale occorre peraltro disporre di una metodica di analisi della catena di eventi casuali dell’incidente formalizzata e priva di deviazioni valutative soggettive. Il modello originale di cui si riferisce si fonda su casi caratterizzati da informazioni approfondite acquisite in ambito di accertamenti tecnici a fini di giustizia. Esso si propone come valido riferimento nelle valutazioni sino alle cause prime dell’evento, lungo tutta la catena incidentale, e consente la revisione critica della valutazione e gestione proattiva dei rischi

A Review: The Potential Involvement of Growth Arrest-Specific 6 and Its Receptors in the Pathogenesis of Lung Damage and in Coronavirus Disease 2019

The tyrosine kinase receptors of the TAM family-Tyro3, Axl and Mer-and their main ligand Gas6 (growth arrest-specific 6) have been implicated in several human diseases, having a particularly important role in the regulation of innate immunity and inflammatory response. The Gas6/TAM system is involved in the recognition of apoptotic debris by immune cells and this mechanism has been exploited by viruses for cell entry and infection. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a multi-systemic disease, but the lungs are particularly affected during the acute phase and some patients may suffer persistent lung damage. Among the manifestations of the disease, fibrotic abnormalities have been observed among the survivors of COVID-19. The mechanisms of COVID-related fibrosis remain elusive, even though some parallels may be drawn with other fibrotic diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Due to the still limited number of scientific studies addressing this question, in this review we aimed to integrate the current knowledge of the Gas6/TAM axis with the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying COVID-19, with emphasis on the development of a fibrotic phenotype