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2014 is the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War (WWI) - or Great War - in Europe and a number of initiatives have been planned to commemorate the tragic event. Until 1918, the Italian Trentino -- Alto Adige region was under the Austro -- Hungarian Empire and represented one of the most crucial and bloody war front between the Austrian and Italian territories. The region borders were constellated of military fortresses, theatre of battles between the two opposite troops. Unfortunately, most of these military buildings are now ruined and their architectures can be hardly appreciated. The paper presents the initial results of the VAST project (VAlorizzazione Storia e Territorio -- Valorization of History and Landscape), that aims to digitally reconstruct the forts located on the plateaus of Luserna, Lavarone and Folgaria. An integrated methodology has been adopted to collect and employ all possible source of information in order to derive precise and photo-realistic 3D digital representations of WWI forts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated research approach consisting of hydrogeologic and geochemical methods was applied to a coastal aquifer in the Ostia Antica archaeological park, Roma, Italy, to describe freshwater–saltwater interactions. The archaeological park of Ostia Antica is located on the left bank of the Tevere River delta which developed on a morphologically depressed area. The water monitoring program included the installation of multiparametric probes in some wells inside the archaeological area, with continuous measurement of temperature, electrical conductivity, and water table level. Field surveys, water sampling, and major elements and bromide analyses were carried out on a seasonal basis in 2016. In order to understand the detailed stratigraphic setting of the area, three surface boreholes were accomplished. Two distinct circulations were identified during the dry season, with local interaction in the rainy period: an upper one within the archaeological cover, less saline and with recharge inland; and a deeper one in the alluvial materials of Tevere River, affected by salinization. Oxygen and carbon isotopic signature of calcite in the sediments extracted from the boreholes, along with major elements and Br concentration, allowed us to recognize the sources of salinity (mainly, local interaction with Roman salt pans and agricultural practices) and the processes of gas–water–rock interaction occurring in the area. All these inferences were confirmed and strengthened by PCA analysis of physicochemical data of groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodegenerative diseases are driven by several mechanisms such as inflammation, abnormal protein aggregation, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. So far, no therapeutic strategies are available for neurodegenerative diseases and in recent years the research is focusing on bioactive molecules present in food. In particular, extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) phenols have been associated to neuroprotection. In this study, we investigated the potential antioxidant and neuroprotective activity of two different EVOO extracts obtained from Quercetano cultivar trees grown in two different areas (plain and hill) of the Tuscany region (Italy). The different geographical origin of the orchards influenced phenol composition. Plain extract presented a higher content of phenyl ethyl alcohols, cinnammic acids, oleacein, oleocanthal and flavones; meanwhile, hill extract was richer in lignans. Hill extract was more effective in protecting differentiated SH-SY5Y cells from peroxide stress thanks to a marked upregulation of the antioxidant enzymes heme oxygenase 1, NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1, thioredoxin Reductase 1 and glutathione reductase. Proteomic analysis revealed that hill extract plays a role in the regulation of proteins involved in neuronal plasticity and activation of neurotrophic factors such as BDNF. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that EVOOs can have important neuroprotective activities, but these effects are strictly related to their specific phenol composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]