The Early History of the Western Palmyra Desert region. The Change in the Settlement patterns and the Adaptation of subsistence Strategies to encroaching Aridity: a first Assessment of the Desert-Kite and Tumulus cultural Horizons

À la suite de la reconnaissance menée par la mission syro-italienne dans l’oasis de Palmyre et les zones désertiques situées au sud et à l’ouest, les données paléo-environnementales indiquent une discontinuité entre une période humide Tardi-glaciaire/Holocène ancien et une période suivante sèche. Cette dernière, dont on suppose qu’elle a débuté au cours du Néolithique précéramique final-Néolithique céramique ancien, voit la nucléation progressive de l’oasis de Palmyre et un changement dans les modes d’occupation et l’exploitation des ressources naturelles de la région. L’article étudie cette adaptation, dans l’occupation et l’exploitation des territoires, contemporaine de l’apparition d’un paysage de desert-kites et de cairns.Palaeoenvironmental proxies from geoarchaeological survey work conducted by a Syrian-Italian mission in the Palmyra oasis and the desert areas to the south and west of it indicate a discontinuity between a wet Lateglacial/Early Holocene and a later dry period. The latter, which is presumed to have started during the final PPNB-early Pottery Neolithic, resulted in the progressive nucleation of the Palmyra oasis and in a major change in settlement patterns and the exploitation of natural resources on a regional scale. The paper explores this major adaptive shift in settlement patterns and economic strategies in the region, which is paralleled by the emergence of a distinctive archaeological landscape characterized by desert-kites and cairns.في أعقاب اعمال المسح التي قامت بها البعثة السورية- الايطالية في واحة تدمر والمناطق الصحراوية الواقعة الى الجنوب والغرب، تشير بيانات البيئة القديمة الى انقطاع بين العصر المتأخر الجليدي الرطب - عصر الهولوسين المبكر و فترة جفاف في وقت لاحق. هذه الأخيرة، التي يفترض أنها قد بدأت في خلال العصر الحجري الحديث نهاية فترة ما قبل الخزف - العصر الحجري الخزفي القديم، رى ظهور نواة تدريجية لواحة تدمر و والتغيير في أنماط الإستيطان و إستغلال الموارد الطبيعية على المستوى الإقليمي. يتناول المقال هذا التكيف ، في أنماط الإستيطان و الإستراتيجيات الإقتصادية في المنطقة، و التي هي معاصرة لظهور منظر طبيعي يحوي مخططات أو فسيفساء جلمودية و تراكمات حجرية

A Tunnel-aware Language for Network Packet Filtering

Abstract—While in computer networks the number of possible protocol encapsulations is growing day after day, network administrators face ever increasing difficulties in selecting accurately the traffic they need to inspect. This is mainly caused by the limited number of encapsulations supported by currently available tools and the difficulty to exactly specify which packets have to be analyzed, especially in presence of tunneled traffic. This paper presents a novel packet processing language that, besides Boolean filtering predicates, introduces special constructs for handling the more complex situations of tunneled and stacked encapsulations, giving the user a finer control over the semantics of a filtering expression. Even though this language is principally focused on packet filters, it is designed to support other advanced packet processing mechanisms such as traffic classification and field extraction. I

Advances in Focused Ion Beam Tomography for Three-Dimensional Characterization in Materials Science

Over the years, FIB-SEM tomography has become an extremely important technique for the three-dimensional reconstruction of microscopic structures with nanometric resolution. This paper describes in detail the steps required to perform this analysis, from the experimental setup to the data analysis and final reconstruction. To demonstrate the versatility of the technique, a comprehensive list of applications is also summarized, ranging from batteries to shale rocks and even some types of soft materials. Moreover, the continuous technological development, such as the introduction of the latest models of plasma and cryo-FIB, can open the way towards the analysis with this technique of a large class of soft materials, while the introduction of new machine learning and deep learning systems will not only improve the resolution and the quality of the final data, but also expand the degree of automation and efficiency in the dataset handling. These future developments, combined with a technique that is already reliable and widely used in various fields of research, are certain to become a routine tool in electron microscopy and material characterization

Acoustic Measurements on a Sonic Crystals Barrier

Abstract This paper describes the measurements carried out over a sonic crystal at normal incidence according to EN 1793-6, which allows to cancel ground reflection and edge diffraction by applying suitable windowing techniques. The sample was made of hollow PVC pipes with an outer diameter of 160 mm arranged in a square lattice with lattice constant 0.2 m. FE predictions were computed in order to verify the experimental campaign. A good match between simulations and measurements was found in the first sonic Bragg band gap. As expected, increasing the number of rows does not translate into a shift of the Bragg band gap but into an increase of the insulation properties

Hydrogen Desorption below 150 °c in MgH2-TiH2 Composite Nanoparticles: Equilibrium and Kinetic Properties

Reversible hydrogen sorption coupled with the MgH2 <-> Mg phase transformation was achieved in the remarkably low 340-425 K temperature range using MgH2-TiH2 composite nanoparticles obtained by reactive gas-phase condensation of Mg Ti vapors under He/H-2 atmosphere. The equilibrium pressures determined by in situ measurements at low temperature were slightly above those predicted using enthalpy Delta H and entropy Delta S of bulk magnesium. A single van't Hoff fit over a range extended up to 550 K yields the thermodynamic parameters Delta H = 68.1 0.9 kJ/molH(2) and Delta S = 119 2 J/(Kmo1H2) for hydride decomposition. A desorption rate of 0.18 wt % H-2/min was measured at T = 423 K and p(H-2) approximate to 1 mbar, i.e., close to equilibrium, without using a Pd catalysts. The nanoparticles displayed a small absorption desorption pressure hysteresis even at low temperatures. We critically discuss the influence exerted by nanostructural features such as interface free energy, elastic clamping, and phase mixing at the single nanopartide level on equilibrium and kinetic properties of hydrogen sorption

Impact of supplementation with vitamins B6, B12, and/or folic acid on the reduction of homocysteine levels in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review

Àcid fòlic; Hhomocisteïna; Deteriorament cognitiu lleuÁcido fólico; Homocisteína; Deterioro cognitivo leveFolic acid; Homocysteine; Mild cognitive impairmentHyperhomocysteinemia is an independent predictor of the risk for cognitive decline and may be a result of low levels of vitamins B12, B6, and folate. Previous findings suggest that adequate intake of these vitamins may reduce homocysteine levels. This review aimed to assess the effects of treatment with vitamins B6, B12, and/or folic acid in the homocysteine levels in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A systematic literature review was conducted in EMBASE, MEDLINE®, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The research question was formulated using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) framework: in patients with MCI (P); what is the efficacy of vitamins B6, B12, and/or folic acid intake (I); compared with baseline values, and/or compared with controls (C); in reducing homocysteine levels from baseline (O). A total of eight primary studies with a total of 1,140 participants were included in the review. Four were randomized controlled trials, one was a quasi-controlled trial, and three were observational studies. All studies included folic acid in their intervention, seven vitamin B12, and four vitamin B6. Mean (SD) length of the intervention period was 18.8 (19.3) months, ranging from 1 to 60 months. All studies showed a statistically significant decrease in homocysteine levels in groups treated with vitamins B6, B12, and/or folic acid compared to controls, with a mean decline of homocysteine concentration of 31.9% in the intervention arms whereas it increased by 0.7% in the control arm. This review identified evidence of a reduction of plasma homocysteine levels in MCI patients taking vitamins B6, B12, and/or folic acid supplements, with statistically significant declines being observed after 1 month of supplementation. Findings support that supplementation with these vitamins might be an option to reduce homocysteine levels in people with MCI and elevated plasma homocysteine.Nestlé Health Science, Switzerlan

Fare storia, divulgare storia: l’esperienza del Portale Storia di Firenze

Il Portale Storia di Firenze (www.storiadifirenze.org) svolge una funzione di servizio per chi studia professionalmente la storia fiorentina e per il più ampio pubblico dei cultori della storia di Firenze. Il presente articolo ne descrive le principali sezioni, articolate in tre diverse categorie: sezioni rivolte a un pubblico di specialisti, sezioni ‘di servizio’, sezioni divulgative. Discutendo i dati relativi ai fruitori del Portale, al loro profilo e ai loro percorsi all’interno delle sezioni, si esemplifica il lavoro attualmente svolto dalla redazione nel percorso da un sito statico (quale attualmente si presenta il Portale) verso un sito dinamico, attraverso discussioni che ruotano sulle attese dei visitatori, e più in generale sulla domanda di storia che il Portale intercetta, e sui cambiamenti che si rendono necessari nello sviluppo dell’architettura dei contenuti. Un sito internet è uno strumento vivo: al pari di altri media richiede che non si perda il contatto con il proprio pubblico e pone il problema dell’equilibrio tra progetto e contenuti di comunicazione da una parte e attese del pubblico dall’altra.The Florence history site (www.storiadifirenze.org) performs a function of use for professional students of Florence history, and for a broader public interested in that area. This article describes its main sections, organized into three different categories: sections for a public of specialists; “service sections”; and and sections designed for a broader public. Examination of the data on the site’s users, their profiles, and their paths within the sections provides examples of the work currently done by the editors in the transition from a static site (as the site currently is) to a dynamic one. This is done through discussions centring on visitors’ expectations, and in general on the demand for history that the site meets and the changes that become necessary in developing the content’s architecture. A website is a living instrument: like other media, it requires not losing contact with its public, and poses the problem of striking a balance between communication content and design on the one hand, and the public’s expectations on the other

Permeability and Selectivity of PPO/Graphene Composites as Mixed Matrix Membranes for CO2 Capture and Gas Separation

We fabricated novel composite (mixed matrix) membranes based on a permeable glassy polymer, Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO), and variable loadings of few-layer graphene, to test their potential in gas separation and CO2 capture applications. The permeability, selectivity and diffusivity of different gases as a function of graphene loading, from 0.3 to 15 wt %, was measured at 35 and 65 \u25e6C. Samples with small loadings of graphene show a higher permeability and He/CO2 selectivity than pure PPO, due to a favorable effect of the nanofillers on the polymer morphology. Higher amounts of graphene lower the permeability of the polymer, due to the prevailing effect of increased tortuosity of the gas molecules in the membrane. Graphene also allows dramatically reducing the increase of permeability with temperature, acting as a \u201cstabilizer\u201d for the polymer matrix. Such effect reduces the temperature-induced loss of size-selectivity for He/N2 and CO2/N2, and enhances the temperature-induced increase of selectivity for He/CO2. The study confirms that, as observed in the case of other graphene-based mixed matrix glassy membranes, the optimal concentration of graphene in the polymer is below 1 wt %. Below such threshold, the morphology of the nanoscopic filler added in solution affects positively the glassy chains packing, enhancing permeability and selectivity, and improving the selectivity of the membrane at increasing temperatures. These results suggest that small additions of graphene to polymers can enhance their permselectivity and stabilize their propertie

Bias in food intake reporting in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: the role of body size, age and gender

An assessment of total daily energy intake is helpful in planning the overall treatment of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, energy intake misreporting may hinder nutritional intervention.Aims: To assess the plausibility of energy intake reporting and the potential role of gender, body mass index (BMI) z-score (z-BMI), disease duration and insulin requirement in energy intake misreporting in a sample of children and adolescents with T1D.Methods: The study included 58 children and adolescents aged 8–16 yr with T1D. Anthropometry, blood pressure and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were measured. Subjects were instructed to wear a SenseWear Pro Armband (SWA) for 3 consecutive days, including a weekend day and to fill out with their parents a weighed dietary record for the same days. Predicted energy expenditure (pEE) was calculated by age and gender specific equations, including gender, age, weight, height and physical activity level (assessed by SWA). The percent reported energy intake (rEI)/pEE ratio was used as an estimate of the plausibility of dietary reporting.Results: Misreporting of food intake, especially under-reporting, was common in children and adolescents with T1D: more than one-third of participants were classified as under- reporters and 10% as over-reporters. Age, z-BMI and male gender were associated with the risk of under-reporting (model R2 = 0.5). Waist circumference was negatively associated with the risk of over-reporting (model R2 = 0.25).Conclusions: Children and adolescents with T1D frequently under-report their food intake. Age, gender and z-BMI contribute to identify potential under-reporters