Search results for " TRACE"

Environmental effects and potential impact on human health caused by the recent Nyiragongo eruption (Democratic Republic of Congo)

2022

Volcanic activity emits large amounts of gases and particles to the atmosphere subsequently spreading contaminants to rain, surface waters and soils, negatively impacting on the environment and the human health. The recent eruption of Nyiragongo occurred on 22nd of May, injected large quantities of ash affecting the environment of the Virunga area, and more than 2 million people living between 18-25 km far from the main crater of Nyiragongo. Several studies demonstrated that drinking waters and plants may contain high contents of natural pollutants, and when ingested they become harmful to human health causing acute or chronic diseases. In this study, we investigated the impact of the recen…

Positron emission tomography in CNS drug discovery and drug monitoring.

2014

Molecular imaging methods such as positron emission tomography (PET) are increasingly involved in the development of new drugs. Using radioactive tracers as imaging probes, PET allows the determination of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of a drug candidate, via recording target engagement, the pattern of distribution, and metabolism. Because of the noninvasive nature and quantitative end point obtainable by molecular imaging, it seems inherently suited for the examination of a pharmaceutical’s behavior in the brain. Molecular imaging, most especially PET, can therefore be a valuable tool in CNS drug research. In this Perspective, we present the basic principles of PET, th…

Chapter 4</br>Will our children have the chance to do research on today’s digital books?

2016

In this chapter, I will first position my considerations about the sustainability of ebooks for future research in the context of book history; moreover, I will introduce basic concepts of (migration and emulation) as well as challenges to the long-term preservation of digital data in greater generality. After that and taking current research on past (printed) books as an analogy, I shall try to outline which kinds of (digital) material will be indispensable in the future to do research on today's digital book production: published digital materials and unique (digital) artefacts. Finally, I shall present the results of my exemplary studies to find out which precautions for the future avail…

Agri-food Supply Chain Traceability for Fruit and Vegetable Cooperatives Using Blockchain Technology

2019

Blockchain se ha convertido en una tecnología disruptiva que tiene la capacidad de transformar la industria agroalimentaria, puesto que promete resolver muchos problemas relacionados con la falta de confianza en la trazabilidad y el producto que adquieren los consumidores. Sin embargo, las partes implicadas en la cadena de suministro de productos agroalimentarios son numerosas y están físicamente dispersas, lo que dificulta el manejo de datos e información. Como resultado, el proceso de producción no es transparente y la confianza es difícil de construir. Para ser más exitosas en la economía globalizada actual, las cooperativas deben focalizarse en ofrecer mayor transparencia. Este document…

U.I.R.D.A. – Unbuilt Italian Rationalism Digital Archive

2018

For twenty years, the architecture of Italian rationalism through the digital modelling has been investigated. Very often, the production of a model and the consequent representation of tridimensional views, in many case studies, as outcome of the research on architecture have been considered. Actually, the digital model, intended as a critical tool, has to be conceived as a ‘starting point' for graphic analysis of architecture and not as the outcome. Indeed, it is associated to other graphics, sometimes not ‘deducted' from the model, useful for the understanding/translation of architecture. The construction of the model is not the construction of a simple image, operation, which is often c…

Rare earths and trace elements contents in leaves: A new indicator of the composition of atmospheric dust

2017

The relationship between the trace element distribution in atmospheric particles and leaves of some exposed plants in the environment was recently demonstrated. This indication would suggest that the trace element analysis of leaves in these plants could provide information about the composition, nature and origin of the atmospheric dust dispersed in the environment. In order to corroborate this hypothesis, the distribution of trace elements and Rare Earths were studied in leaves of some endemic plants, in the atmospheric fallout and in soils of rural, urban and industrial ecosystems in Sicily. These elements have been chosen to discriminate the source and nature of different source on atmo…

Evaluation of clogging in full-scale subsurface flow constructed wetlands

2016

Abstract Treatment processes that occur in constructed wetlands can result in gradual clogging of the porous medium. Clogging may result in hydraulic malfunction and/or reduced treatment performance. The aim of this study was to analyze the hydraulic aspects of horizontal subsurface flow (H-SSF) constructed wetlands (CWs), and, in particular, to investigate the clogging phenomena through in situ measurements of hydraulic conductivity of the gravel bed, quantification of accumulated clog matter and flow paths visualization by means of tracer tests. Removal efficiencies of chemical and physical contaminants were also assessed. Experiments were carried out in three full-scale H-SSF CWs in Sici…

Two Half-Truths Make a Whole? On Bias in Self-Reports and Tracking Data

2019

The pervasive use of mobile information technologies brings new patterns of media usage, but also challenges to the measurement of media exposure. Researchers wishing to, for example, understand the nature of selective exposure on algorithmically driven platforms need to precisely attribute individuals’ exposure to specific content. Prior research has used tracking data to show that survey-based self-reports of media exposure are critically unreliable. So far, however, little effort has been invested into assessing the specific biases of tracking methods themselves. Using data from a multimethod study, we show that tracking data from mobile devices is linked to systematic distortions in sel…

Passive degassing at Nyiragongo (D.R. Congo) and Etna (Italy) volcanoes: the chemical characterization of the emissions and assessment of their uptak…

2014

SEW – Save the Etna World

2017

At more than 3,330 m high and ~40 km wide, Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, is the highestvolcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. Etna stands majesticwherever you look at it, showing a distinctive skyline from each side. More than 200,000people live around its mid-slopes, while another 300,000 are in the biggest city, Catania,located at its southern lower slope. The volcano is so imposing that there are manydifferent landscapes and habitats, often highly dissimilar. Ente Parco dell’Etna (EtnaPark) is the institution, started in 1987, covering the core of the volcano, protecting itsbiodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes, and lastly promoting the sustainabledevelopment of loca…