Search results for "Technology"

Innovazione sociale e creatività. Nuovi scenari di sviluppo per il territorio sicano

2018

Innovazione sociale e creatività. Nuovi scenari di sviluppo per il territorio sicano, attraverso il paradigma emergente della Circular Land e alcune esperienze d'innovazione locale in Sicilia, traccia un nuovo scenario di sviluppo in Sicilia, evidenziando le relazioni tra l'innovazione sociale, quale processo territorialmente radicato e il contesto spaziale in cui agisce, e identificando nella dimensione relazionale della connettività il principale campo d'azione per le politiche territoriali regionali. In the contribution Innovation and creativity. New development scenarios for the Sicani area, starting from the emerging concept of Circular Land and from some experiences of local innovatio…

The Effect of Mechanocatalytic Pretreatment on the Structure and Depolymerization of Willow

2020

In this study, the effect of a mechanocatalytic pretreatment on the structure of willow and sugar release from pretreated willow was explored. In the mechanocatalytic approach, the pretreatment consists of solvent-free impregnation with sulfuric acid and a mechanical treatment with ball milling. Willow sawdust and pretreated samples were analyzed with field emission scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The products in the sugar solution were determined as the total reducing sugars with the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid method and monosaccharides with capillary electrophoresis. According to the results, milling increased the sugar production, depending on the sulfuric acid load. T…

Nitrate and nitrite in the diet: How to assess their benefit and risk for human health

2015

Nitrate is a natural constituent of the human diet and an approved food additive. It can be partially converted to nitrogen monoxide, which induces vasodilation and thereby decreases blood pressure. This effect is associated with a reduced risk regarding cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Moreover, dietary nitrate has been associated with beneficial effects in patients with gastric ulcer, renal failure, or metabolic syndrome. Recent studies indicate that such beneficial health effects due to dietary nitrate may be achievable at intake levels resulting from the daily consumption of nitrate-rich vegetables. N-nitroso compounds are endogenously formed in humans. However…

Investigation of a Gravel-Bed River’s Pattern Changes: Insights from Satellite Images

2021

Changes in river pattern have been documented in the literature. The recognition of islands and vegetated patches, which is indicative of the evolution processes, requires simultaneous information at different points and at different times and field studies are still difficult and scarce. The present work, focusing the attention on a gravel-bed river, explores the possibility to conduct a first-step pattern changes analysis by identifying the evolution of the morphological features and taking information of islands and vegetated patches from satellite images easily available from Google Earth. The study is conducted by combining the information taken from both the satellite images and the f…

Entropic model application to identify cross-sectional flow effect on velocity distribution in a large amplitude meandering channel

2020

Abstract Literature shows the application of the entropy concept in open channels flow. No existing research has been addressed to the application of the entropy concept for evaluating the effect of secondary flow which especially develops in curved channels. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility to evaluate the effect of the secondary flow on the stream-wise velocity distribution starting only from the knowledge of the surface velocity and the entropic concept application. The analysis is conducted with the aid of data collected in a large-amplitude meandering laboratory flume for two different values of the width-to-depth ratio. Results show that the location of the maxi…

Enhancing innovation capability and business opportunities : cases of SME-oriented applied research

2012

Rocking behaviour of multi-block columns subjected to pulse-typeground motion accelerations

2016

Ancient columns, made with a variety of materials such as marble, granite, stone or masonry are an important part of theEuropean cultural heritage. In particular columns of ancient temples in Greece and Sicily which support only the architrave arecharacterized by small axial load values. This feature together with the slenderness typical of these structural members clearlyhighlights as the evaluation of the rocking behaviour is a key aspect of their safety assessment and maintenance. It has to be notedthat the rocking response of rectangular cross-sectional columns modelled as monolithic rigid elements, has been widely investigatedsince the first theoretical study carried out by Housner (19…

The Influence of Nanoparticle Shape on Protein Corona Formation

2020

Nanoparticles have become an important utility in many areas of medical treatment such as targeted drug and treatment delivery as well as imaging and diagnostics. These advances require a complete understanding of nanoparticles' fate once placed in the body. Upon exposure to blood, proteins adsorb onto the nanoparticles surface and form a protein corona, which determines the particles' biological fate. This study reports on the protein corona formation from blood serum and plasma on spherical and rod‐shaped nanoparticles. These two types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles have identical chemistry, porosity, surface potential, and size in the y ‐dimension, one being a sphere and the other a …

Photoluminescent Detection of Human T-Lymphoblastic Cells by ZnO Nanorods.

2020

The precise detection of cancer cells currently remains a global challenge. One-dimensional (1D) semiconductor nanostructures (e.g., ZnO nanorods) have attracted attention due to their potential use in cancer biosensors. In the current study, it was demonstrated that the possibility of a photoluminescent detection of human leukemic T-cells by using a zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) platform. Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) anti-CD5 against a cluster of differentiation (CD) proteins on the pathologic cell surface have been used as a bioselective layer on the ZnO surface. The optimal concentration of the protein anti-CD5 to form an effective bioselective layer on the ZnO NRs surface was selected. …

Foot and Lower Limb Clinical and Structural Changes in Overuse Injured Recreational Runners Using Floating Heel Shoes: Preliminary Results of a Rando…

2021

Foot-strike and the associated load rate are factors related to overuse injuries in runners. The purpose of this study was to analyse structural and functional changes in runners using floating heel running shoes, compared with runners using conventional footwear. A randomised control trial was conducted. Twenty runners with overuse injuries were followed over a 12-week gait retraining programme using floating heel running shoes or their conventional footwear. Pain was measured with pressure pain thresholds (PPTs), structural changes were measured with ultrasonography, and severity and impact of injury was scored on the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-…