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Immobilizing natural antioxidant and biologically active molecules in layered double hydroxides (LDHs) is an excellent method to retain and release these substances in a controlled manner, as well as protect them from thermal and photochemical degradation. Herein, we describe the preparation of host–guest systems based on LDHs and rosmarinic and glycyrrhetinic acids, two molecules obtained from the extraction of herbs and licorice root, respectively, with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Intercalation between the lamellae of the mono-deprotonated anions of rosmarinic and glycyrrhetinic acid (RA and GA), alone or in the presence of an alkyl surfactant, allows for readily dispersible systems in biobased polymer matrices such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and a 60/40 wt./wt. PLA/PBS blend. The composites based on the PLA/PBS blend showed better interphase compatibility than the neat blend, correlated with increased adhesion at the interface and a decreased dispersed phase size. In addition, we proved that the active species migrate slowly from thin films of the composite materials in a hydroalcoholic solvent, confirming the optimization of the release process. Finally, both host–guest systems and polymeric composites showed antioxidant capacity and, in the case of the PLA composite containing LDH-RA, excellent inhibitory capacity against E. coli and S. aureus.

Objective To differentially diagnose a calcified formation recovered from a 13th century AD grave from the Tuscan monastery of Badia Pozzeveri, Lucca, Italy. Materials A calcified formation from the thoraco-abdominal region of a skeleton buried in the monastery cemetery. Methods Cone Beam Computed Tomography, Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy. Results A hollow, calcified ovoid formation was identified as typical of a hydatid cyst, permitting the diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis in a 35-45year-old female. Conclusions The study reveals the circulation of the parasite Echinococcus granulosus in the region of Lucca in late medieval Tuscany. Significance This finding is the fourth case of cystic echinococcosis from an archaeological context in Italy and provides insight into environmental conditions that appear to have affected members of a community, irrespective of social status. Limitations Caution and the application of multiple analyses must be exercised in the differential diagnosis to discriminate among calcified formations. Suggestions for further research Analysis of stable isotopes of the calcified formation, such as 15N and 13C, in order to compare them with isotopic values of the host individual and to further confirm the parasitic origin of the find.

This research activity aims at investigating the hydrogen embrittlement of Maraging steels in connection to real sudden failures of some of the suspension blades of the Virgo Project experimental apparatus. Some of them failed after 15 years of service in working conditions. Typically, in the Virgo detector, blades are loaded up to 50-60% of the material yield strength. For a deeper understanding of the failure, the relationship between hydrogen concentration and mechanical properties of the material, have been investigated with specimens prepared in order to simulate blade working conditions. A mechanical characterization of the material has been carried out by standard tensile testing in order to establish the effect of hydrogen content on the material strength. Further experimental activity was executed in order to characterize the fracture surface and to measure the hydrogen content. Finally, some of the failed blades have been analyzed in DICI-UNIPI laboratory. The experimental results show that the blades failure can be related with the hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon.

The intragranular nucleation of ferrite has been studied in a V microalloyed steel (C=0.103; Mn=1.463; V=0.139; N=0.0100% mass). Using torsion tests and applying the double deformation method known as “back extrapolation”, the recrystrallised fraction of austenite has been determined for several deformation temperatures and two strain values (0.20 and 0.35) and has been plotted as a function of time. Recrystallisation-precipitation-time-temperature (RPTT) diagrams have then been drawn. The RPTT diagrams depict precipitation kinetics as a function of the temperature and time and this information has been used to study the intragranular nucleation of ferrite, cooling specimens from programmed temperatures and moments for which the precipitated volume and the average precipitate size (determined by TEM) are known. The results have allowed us to determine the contribution of intragranular nucleation to ferritic grain refinement, which was approximately 20%.

Digital semeiotics is one of the newest recent challenges for assessing a number of computational descriptors to atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases that are leading causes of mortality worldwide. These descriptors can be expressed involving (i) morphometric, biometrics and colorimetric of the face; (ii) spectroscopic analysis of skin and iris, of sub-cutaneous substances and the function of subcutaneous tissues, and (iii) compositional analysis of breath and exhaled. In this paper, we describe the design and functionality of the Wize Sniffer (WS), a new portable device for breath analysis limited to an effective number of substances. Within the SEMEOTICON Project by the WS, we intend a hardware/software tool for both the analysis of volatile organic compounds of breath and a platform for data mining and data integration. The WS should be able to provide useful information about the “breathprint”, i.e., the analog of fingerprint for the state of health of an individual.