Cultura marinara, ricerca folklorica e turismo "culturale" in Sicilia. Stato dell'arte e prospettive

A survey on the microclimate in Palermo city using the public transport system

This work presentes the results of an extensive survey on the microclimate in Palermo city using the public transport system

Efficacia ed efficienza dei protocolli di pulizia e disinfezione in sale operatorie

LOFT: the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing

The LOFT mission concept is one of four candidates selected by ESA for the M3 launch opportunity as Medium Size missions of the Cosmic Vision programme. The launch window is currently planned for between 2022 and 2024. LOFT is designed to exploit the diagnostics of rapid X-ray flux and spectral variability that directly probe the motion of matter down to distances very close to black holes and neutron stars, as well as the physical state of ultra-dense matter. These primary science goals will be addressed by a payload composed of a Large Area Detector (LAD) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a collimated (<1 degree field of view) experiment operating in the energy range 2-50 keV,…

Ventilation Problems in Heritage Buildings

The control of indoor conditions in heritage buildings, such as castles or museums, is of paramount importance for the proper preservation of the artworks kept in. As heritage buildings are often not equipped with HVAC systems, it is necessary to provide proper interventions and measures with the aim of monitoring and controlling indoor physical parameters. Moreover, another requirement should be achieved in such buildings, that is the maintenance of the safety conditions in presence of visiting people. This work reports the results of a survey carried on a hall of a historical palace, aimed to assess an useful correlation between CO2 concentration and occupancy levels.

L'integrazione degli impianti ad aria con soffitti radianti nelle degenze ospedaliere: un caso studio per la valutazione delle condizioni di benessere termico

Nel presente lavoro vengono descritti i risultati di una ricerca sperimentale, condotta in periodo estivo, sulle prestazioni di comfort termico in degenze ospedaliere climatizzate mediante impianti ad aria primaria e sistemi radianti a soffitto. La ricerca sperimentale, sviluppata grazie alla collaborazione tra le Università di Ferrara, Bologna e Palermo ed una azienda produttrice di sistemi radianti a soffitto, è stata condotta all’interno di due stanze di degenza presso il reparto Maternità dell’Ospedale Maggiore di Bologna. La scelta del luogo è motivata dal fatto che è sempre maggiore l’attenzione della letteratura verso gli standard di comfort che devono essere garantiti nell’ambito os…

The ovipositing female of Ooencyrtus telenomicida relies on physiological mechanisms to mediate intrinsic competition with Trissolcus basalis

Ongoing studies by our group showed that the outcome of the intrinsic competition between two solitary egg parasitoids, Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), is dominated by O. telenomicida. In this article we investigated the role played by the ovipositing O. telenomicida female in the suppression of a T. basalis competitor. Laboratory experiments were conducted by allowing an O. telenomicida female to puncture the eggs of Nezara viridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) with her ovipositor (= no oviposition) or to parasitize them. The results show that O. telenomicida relies on some physiological mechan…

Preservation of the artistic heritage within the seat of the Chancellorship of the University of Palermo

The correct maintenance of artworks of historical and artistic value requires a wide and detailed analysis of all the information relevant for preserving them, such as identification of the main deterioration factors, knowledge of the climatic history of the object, set-up of measuring methods and statistics of the guide parameters, and definition of a set of recommended environmental aspects to be controlled within a stable climate condition linked to the particular kind of object or its surface. In Italy, the basic laws UNI 10829 and UNI 10969 impose a reference methodology for the in-field measurement and data analysis. This paper reports the first results of a measuring campaign, carrie…

Thermal characterisation of Bio Based Building Materials

This paper describes how the characterization of indigenous renewable biomass sources that are applicable for making bio-based building (BBB) materials is crucial as it can significantly affect the cost of production and the quality of material. Nowadays, in any specific area, wide ranges of biomass sources are usually available but only a few sources may be suitable for making BBB material. Therefore the suited sources should be determined. In this paper, the use of BBB materials is focused on Insulation Materials which are widely used in the buildings. Compared with currently used materials, these materials are bio-degradable. Insulation material with a good energy-adsorbing property and …

A Proposed Methodology to Control Body Temperature in Patients at Risk of Hypothermia by means of Active Rewarming Systems

Hypothermia is a common complication in patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia. It has been noted that, during the first hour of surgery, the patient’s internal temperature (Tcore) decreases by 0.5–1.5°C due to the vasodilatory effect of anesthetic gases, which affect the body’s thermoregulatory system by inhibiting vasoconstriction. Thus a continuous check on patient temperature must be carried out. The currently most used methods to avoid hypothermia are based on passive systems (such as blankets reducing body heat loss) and on active ones (thermal blankets, electric or hot-water mattresses, forced hot air, warming lamps, etc.). Within a broader research upon the environment…

Experimental determination of natural air ventilation rates based on CO2 concentration

This study reports the first results of a survey carried out by the authors on a hall used for conferences, training courses, seminars, and aimed to determine the correlation between the concentration of CO2 and the number of air changes only through natural ventilation. The assessment of ventilation rates was based on the knowledge of the indoor and outdoor CO2 concentrations and of the number of people in the hall. As it is known, the CO2 concentrations can be used as an index for the number of people present in a room and can be evaluated as a function of time by using the Meckler equation in steady-state conditions. In that case it is however necessary that some restrictive hypotheses a…

ESM table S1 from How to escape from insect egg parasitoids: a review of potential factors explaining parasitoid absence across the insecta

Egg parasitoid presence/absence and factors, number of species and % of herbivory

Ventilation Rates and Unsatisfied Percentage from Indoor CO2 Concentration

This work reports the results of a survey carried out on a hall in a historic building in Palermo (Italy) with the aim of assessing the air quality by means of objective measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and its subjective evaluation through a questionnaire. The measured values of CO2 concentration were compared with those evaluated using the Meckler equation under steady-state conditions, having verified necessary parameters such as the constancy of the indoor and outdoor CO2 levels and the uniformity of the CO 2 generation rate for all the occupants. The positive correspondence between measured and calculated results allowed us to utilise, under differing circumstances, t…

A survey on the thermal conditions experienced by a surgical team

The complex environment of the operating theatre is shared by a group of people having highly different needs: on one side, there is a surgical team whose work may last many hours and, on the other, an anaesthetized patient often subject to liquid infusion. Up to now, little consideration has been given to the different needs of the surgical team who may be affected according to their positions with respect to the scialytic lamp and their particular task. Clothing influences the comfort of the surgical team to a considerable degree: in fact, in some surgery (orthopaedics, neurosurgery and so on), surgeons and assistants must wear paper overalls beneath non-breathable plastic overalls and p…

ESM table S2 from How to escape from insect egg parasitoids: a review of potential factors explaining parasitoid absence across the Insecta

Host orders for each egg parasitoid genus and percentages

ESM S1 from How to escape from insect egg parasitoids: a review of potential factors explaining parasitoid absence across the Insecta

Location of host eggs by parasitoids and information on most important egg parasitoid genera, incl. figure S1