Multi-scale properties of strike-slip faults corss-cutting the Pleistocene carbonate grainstones of Favignana Island (NW Sicily, Italy)

Preliminary results of fault-related permeability structures associated to the Scicli-Ragusa fault segments, Hyblean Plateau, Sicily

Nella zona di Ragusa (Plateau Ibleo, Sicilia sud-orientale) la presenza di bitume all’interno di rocce carbonatiche di età oligo-miocenica, caratterizzate da una porosità primaria oggi compresa tra 0 e 10% (Formazione Ragusa, permette di osservare il ruolo esercitato da faglie e fratture nella circolazione degli idrocarburi. Con l’obiettivo quindi di effettuare studi mirati alla caratterizzazione petrofisica delle diverse tipologie di faglie e fratture affioranti, è stato condotto uno studio di terreno preliminare, che ha permesso la definizione dell’assetto geologico-strutturale della porzione occidentale del Plateau Ibleo, lungo il sistema di faglie denominato Scicli-Ragusa. Inoltre, sull…

Preliminary results of fault-related permeability structures associated in the Scicli-Ragusa fault, Hyblean Plateau, Sicily.

ADHESION AND OSTEOGENIC DIFFERENTIATION OF NON-ADHERENT PROGENITORS FROM ADIPOSE-DERIVED STEM CELLS (napASCs) OVER INTEGRA DERMAL REGENERATION TEMPLATE

INTRODUCTION: Non-adherent progenitors from adipose-derived stem cells (n.a.p.ASCs) represent an upstream lineage of multipotent stem cell progenitors capable of clonal expansion and asymmetric divisions comparable to stem cell spheres observed in breast, thyroid and colon, and, as such, confirm the stemness of cells extracted from lipoaspirate. The identification of napASCs confirms the stem-cell origin of the more differentiated and commonly used adherent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). NapASCs adhesion for differentiation purposes may be useful in tissue engineering. In this study we investigate the feasibility of napASCs adhesion over Integra® dermal regeneration template for cell col…

Preliminary results of a multi-scale structural analisys in an analogue carbonate reservoir (Hyblean Plateau, Sicily, Italy)

With the aim of studying the multi-scale fault architecture and permeability in hydrocarbon-rich porous carbonate rocks, we are currently involved in a project focused on the structural analysis of fractured and faulted platform-to-ramp carbonates cropping out in the Hyblean Plateau (Sicily, Italy). The Hyblean Plateau is part of the Maghrebian foreland and forms the northern portion of the African plate. The plateau is a NE-oriented structural high crosscut by a large-scale N10°-20°E oriented strike-slip fault system, named Scicli-Ragusa, which was affected by right-lateral kinematics during the Upper Miocene-Lower Pliocene. Some authors documented a recent activity of the Scicli-Ragusa fa…

A mathematical approach to model diffusion properties of sedimentary rocks relevant to Sicily cultural heritage

Cultural heritage vestiges represent complex physical systems, able to interact with the environment through continuous exchanges of heat and fluids (water, air). In this wide context, particular relevance is assumed by transport phenomena and diffusion of pollutant, vehiculated inside the considered structure by water itself. Interaction mechanisms can be considered at various observation scales, depending on the material provenance and on its geometry and location. Involved materials are commonly constituted by porous rocks - more or less altered - belonging to geological sedimentary formations, as limestone, calcarenite and travertine. Their appreciable porosity affects significantly liq…