Search results for "OPAL"
showing 10 items of 283 documents
Redescription of the rare European harvestman Dicranopalpus brevipes Marcellino, 1970, based on first records from Sardinia (Arachnida: Opiliones)
2020
New records of the small, enigmatic harvestman Dicranopalpus brevipes are presented, the male is redescribed and the female is described for the first time. The species originates from Sicily, while the novel findings are from Sardinia, where it may have been introduced by man. Paedomorphic modifications such as reduced sexual dimorphism in colouration and pedipalpal morphology, regression of genital structures and shortening of the legs, appear to result from its ground-dwelling habits induced by xeric climatic conditions. Avoiding the dry and hot season, D. brevipes matures in autumn and winter and has completed its lifecycle in April. Additional information on phenology, ecology, distrib…
On the hydro-mechanical behaviour of remoulded and natural Opalinus Clay shale
2016
The geo-energy sector makes use of advanced technologies such as shale gas extraction, CO2 sequestration and nuclear waste geological disposal that rely on the exploitation of shale formations. Due to the great depths involved in these applications and the difficulties in retrieving intact samples, remoulded shale specimens are often adopted for hydro-mechanical testing. Remoulded and intact shales may substantially differ in their hydro-mechanical behaviour due to the particular structure of the natural material, which is the result of diagenesis and burial history. This paper presents an experimental campaign aimed at (i) characterizing the role of diagenesis and depth for Opalinus Clay s…
Le "argille ceramiche" della Sicilia occidentale e centrale
2011
L’argilla è senza dubbio uno dei primi materiali naturali o “geomateriali” che l’uomo abbia mai usato, ed anche oggi, in molteplici temi applicativi della geologia, la conoscenza approfondita delle formazioni argillose diventa spesso un aspetto di primaria importanza. Le peculiari proprietà di acquisire un’eccellente plasticità una volta mescolata con acqua in proporzioni opportune e quindi di essere facilmente modellata, di acquistare rigidità in seguito ad asciugamento, di diventare solida in modo permanente dopo cottura, unitamente alla pressoché ubiquitaria disponibilità, hanno fatto sì che l’argilla sia stata sempre ricercata e lavorata con ottimi risultati per foggiare vasellame di us…
Il contributo degli architetti siciliani ai concorsi per le nuove chiese italiane della CEI
2015
Il saggio analizza il contributo degli architetti siciliani ai concorsi per le nuove chiese italiane della CEI. Nell’ambito di tale lunga esperienza promossa dalla CEI, il contributo degli architetti siciliani alla realizzazione delle nuove chiese italiane appare particolarmente significativo e si distingue per una costante presenza in tutti i concorsi e per la qualità dei risultati raggiunti attraverso l’esplorazione di temi progettuali tutti interni al processo di rinnovamento liturgico e rituale. Pasquale Culotta e Giuseppe (Bibi) Leone sono i primi a esordire nell’iniziale concorso indetto nel 1998 con il progetto per la parrocchia di San Giovan Battista in Lecce. L’anno successivo, Vin…
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with tonsillectomy in the treatment of severe OSAS
2009
Objective: To establish the efficacy of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with tonsillectomy for treating selected patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome Methodology: Retrospective study of patients who underwent clinical/instrumental evaluation and surgical treatment. Setting: University ENT division with a tertiary snoring referral center Participants: Twenty-two patients with normal body mass index affected by severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome- Main outcome measures: Pre and post operative cardiopulmonary monitoring during sleep, daytime sleepiness evaluation, post treatment complication recording. Results: Complete response to therapy was obtained in 78% of patients. Four p…
Digital participation in service environments among senior electricity consumers in Finland
2018
Research to date suggests that older adults engage with digital technologies less frequently than young adults. Studies typically focus on chronological age, ignoring the effects of life course factors on the adoption and use of digital technologies. By utilising multiple triangulation, the article investigates the role of age and life course stage in the usage of an electricity company's online services among senior consumers. The data are derived from an internet-based survey study (N = 1366) and six focus group discussions involving Finnish electricity consumers (N = 29). The results suggest that online consumers aged 50 and over utilise electricity company online services more frequentl…
A new perspective of innovation toward a non-contact society - Amazon's initiative in pioneering growing seamless switching
2022
This paper elucidates the inside of the black box of Amazon's unique research and development (R&D) dynamism that made it the world's top R&D leader by transforming “routine or periodic alterations” into “significant improvement” during the R&D process. This dynamism also succeeded in transforming the COVID-19 pandemic period into a springboard for new innovation, leading to Amazon's notable growth notwithstanding the pandemic. An empirical analysis using a techno-economic approach focusing on Amazon's endeavor to develop a series of advanced digital fashions (ADFs) and online-based luxury brands (neo-luxury) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted. Amazon became a global appa…
Moderne Bildverarbeitungsverfahren als Unterstützung der räumlichen Rekonstruktion histologischer Strukturen
1994
Summary Spatial reconstruction of anatomic and histologic structures is of increasing importance in biological and medical research. A special kind of disease — hereditary opalescent dentine (HOD) — offered a good chance for the use of a comfortable image-analysis system (IBAS, Kontron) in combination with a special software for three-dimensional reconstruction. New aspects of the morphologic organisation of a key structure of HOD — the giant dentinal canals — could be shown, thus supporting the hypothesis of a vasal origin.
Experimental analysis of the water retention behaviour of shales
2014
Shales are among the most commonly considered geomaterials in current energy-related geomechanical investigations, as they are involved in engineering applications such as the unconventional extraction of natural gas, CO2 sequestration and nuclear waste geological storage. A deep understanding of their behaviour with regard to variations in the degree of saturation is of primary significance for such applications. With the aim to establish a sound protocol for shale retention behaviour analysis, this paper presents an advanced experimental methodology that takes into account the specificities of shales such as small pore size dimensions and the large variations in water potential to be appl…
The Role of Anisotropy on the Volumetric Behaviour of Opalinus Clay upon Suction Change
2017
An experimental investigation to analyse the anisotropic volumetric response of shaly and sandy facies of Opalinus Clay upon suction variations is presented. Obtained results demonstrate the different behaviour of the tested facies to a wetting-drying cycle. The shaly facies exhibits higher water retention capacity and stronger volumetric response than the sandy facies. Anisotropic response is experienced by both facies with the strain perpendicular to bedding higher than in the parallel direction. The sandy facies exhibits a more pronounced anisotropic behaviour in particular during the drying phase. A detailed analysis of the response in the two directions with respect to the bedding orie…