Search results for "SICILY"
showing 10 items of 2393 documents
Acoustic characterization of the ancient theatre at Syracuse
2008
The ancient theatre at Syracuse, the largest open air theatre in Sicily, experienced many structural changes along its history. Today its very renowned drama festival attracts visitors from all the world that fill the entire cavea: customized seats accomodation and a prominent stage play an important role in the theatre acoustics. Because no data were available in literature on its acoustical perfomance a measurement session was carried out by our team in the framework of a wide research project on ancient theatres acoustics in the modern use. From data recorded "room criteria" parameters have been evaluated together with spectral analysis in order to gain a deeper information on the acoust…
Atteone in contesto. Il mito, l'acqua e riti di transizione femminili nella Sicilia greca
2020
The study considers some representations of the myth of Actaeon in Sicily, that draw a clear geography of the mythic theme in the island, in close connection with water and female transition rites. In particular, it focuses on some louteria from Selinus and Agrigento (from the Sanctuary of chthonic deities), that report this subject, and a lekanis rim from Himera, coming from a supposed sacred area within the residential area, where rites of passage were performed. The only other evidence of the theme in the island consists in a fragment of Attic krater from a Geloan tomb, apart from the well known metope of Selinus. The recontextualization of the evidence allows us to understand better the…
A radiometric and petrographic approach to risk assessment at Alte Madonie Mounts region (Sicily, Italy)
2013
The main goal of this work was to assess the radiological hazard at Alte Madonie Mounts region (north-central Sicily, Italy) in response to rumours of an increase in the incidence of cancer in this area. A correlation between the natural radionuclide contents and the petrographic features of the soil and rock samples was also evaluated. A total of 41 samples of selected soils and rocks were collected, powdered, dried and sealed in 'Marinelli' beakers for 20 d prior to measurement to ensure that a radioactive equilibrium between (226)Ra and (214)Bi had been reached. A gamma-ray spectrometer was used to quantify the radioactivity concentrations. To determine (238)U and (232)Th activities, the…
Active deformation in southern italy from gnss velocities: updated redults of the PTGA network.
2010
Active deformation in a sector of the Sicilian-Maghrebian Chain: new insights from integrated GNSS, structural high-resolution seismic reflection and…
2016
We document active deformation in a sector of the Sicilian Maghrebian Chain exposed in north Sicily and in its offshore prolongation on the basis of the integrated analysis of 1) time series of data collected by GNSS acquisition representing the change in the positions (X and Y) of permanent stations located in Palermo, Partinico, Prizzi, and Termini compared to the IGS station of Noto, 2) high-resolution (Sparker) single-channel reflection seismic data, 3) structural data, and 4) seismological data. The average values for the velocity vectors obtained for the Palermo, Partinico, Prizzi, and Termini Imerese stations are 4.55, 2.97, 2.96, and 2.15 mm/yr, respectively. The direction of the ve…
Fontane e acquedotti nella Sicilia tra XV e XVII secolo
2014
Between XV and XVII century, the Sicilian cities deal with impressive works of modernization, trough the construction of new conducts and aqueducts. The most eloquent signsof this activity are the precious fountains, built in Messina and Palermo, with a clear role of civic propaganda. In addition to these works, the documents tell, with reference to several cities of the island, of a lasting and dramatic series of quarrels that reveal the political and economic value of the water’s domain. Le città siciliane tra XV e XVII affrontarono una imponente opera di modernizzazione attraverso la costruzione di nuove condutture idriche e di acquedotti. La prova più evidente di questa attività so le p…
Variability of Hypericins and Hyperforin in Hypericum Species from the Sicilian Flora
2019
Within Sicilian flora, the genus Hypericum (Guttiferae) includes 10 native species, the most popular of which is H. perforatum. Hypericum's most investigated active compounds belong to naphtodianthrones (hypericin, pseudohypericin) and phloroglucinols (hyperforin, adhyperforin), and the commercial value of the drug is graded according to its total hypericin content. Ethnobotanical sources attribute the therapeutic properties recognized for H. perforatum, also to other Hypericum species. However, their smaller distribution inside the territory suggests that an industrial use of such species, when collected from the wild, would result in an unacceptable depletion of their natural stands. This…
Prolidase deficiency in two dermatological patients in western Sicily
2020
Prolidase deficiency is a rare disorder inherited through an autosomal recessive gene. The hallmark of the disorder are iminodipeptiduria, chronic skin ulcers, recurring infections, mental retardation and characteristic facial appearance, although prolidase deficiency can occur with no clinical manifestation. The primary biological function of the enzyme involves the metabolism of collagen degradation products and the recycling of proline for collagen resynthesis. We describe two patients with prolidase deficiency and review the different clinical manifestations suggesting the pathogenetic mechanism through few hypotheses.