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Photomodelling is an innovative, economical and fast technique based on the same principles of photogrammetry, which leads to the creation of 3-dimensional models starting from the simple acquisition of photographs. The aim of this paper is to define performances and metrological characteristics of this new technique and to understand the full potential offered by point cloud processing software. The analytical comparison considers a structured light 3D scanning system Creaform Go Scan 50 with metrological certification as a reference, in order to verify the accuracy and precision of photomodelling, using a modified function of the ICP algorithm and spatial, volumetric and superficial comparison criteria.

Several indicators and methods are already applied for sustainability assessment in agriculture. The links between sustainability indicators, agricultural management and policies are not well explained. The aim of this study is to combine biophysical and monetary sustainability assessment tools to support agriculture policy decision-making. Three methodological steps are considered: i) the environmental impacts of farms are assessed using terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, soil and freshwater ecotoxicity as well as natural land transformation; ii) the most relevant indicators of agriculture damages on ecosystems quality are aggregated into an index; iii) the farms' index scores are integrated with farm assets, land and labor, into the Sustainable Value approach (SVA), as indicator of natural resources used by farms. As a case study, the methodology was applied to arable farms with and without animal husbandry of the "Alta Murgia" National Park. The crop farms, in our sample, have a higher sustainable value using their economic and environmental resources. Mixed farms need to improve their resources use efficiency. Although crop farms have lower land-use efficiency compared to mixed farms, our results suggest supporting, by means of policy options, the specialized crop farms that, on average, perform better in terms of ecosystems quality preservation. Finally, we find that Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to soundly measure the environmental impacts clearly enriches the SVA. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production of struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) from waste streams is increasingly implemented to recover phosphorus (P), which is listed as a critical raw material in the European Union (EU). To facilitate EU-wide trade of P-containing secondary raw materials such as struvite, the EU issued a revised fertilizer regulation in 2019. A comprehensive overview of the supply of struvite and its quality is presently missing. This study aimed: i) to determine the current EU struvite production volumes, ii) to evaluate all legislated physicochemical characteristics and pathogen content of European struvite against newly set regulatory limits, and iii) to compare not-regulated struvite characteristics. It is estimated that in 2020, between 990 and 1250 ton P are recovered as struvite in the EU. Struvite from 24 European production plants, accounting for 30% of the 80 struvite installations worldwide was sampled. Three samples failed the physicochemical legal limits; one had a P content of 90% DW. All samples showed a heavy metal content below the legal limits. Microbiological analyses indicated that struvite may exceed certain legal limits. Differences in morphology and particle size distribution were observed for struvite sourced from digestate (rod shaped; transparent; 82 mass% 2 mm). A uniform soil-plant P-availability pattern of 3.5–6.5 mg P/L soil/d over a 28 days sampling period was observed. No differences for plant biomass yield were observed. In conclusion, the results highlight the suitability of most struvite to enter the EU fertilizer market.

On-machine, optical imaging of the layer is bound to play an important role in the development of future in-process monitoring solutions for fused filament fabrication. In addition to detecting layer internal defects, layer imaging offers the possibility to retrieve the outer contours of a layer and thus three-dimensionally reconstruct the side walls of a part by vertically stacking contours belonging to sequential layers. The current open challenges for layer imaging relate to the compromise between imaging resolution and extension of covered area, and to the complexity of image interpretation, exacerbated by optically difficult materials, complex filament patterns and non-uniform environmental conditions. In this work we propose an original optical imaging solution for layer contour identification and stacking. Our solution overcomes the current challenges related to range/resolution and image interpretation by making use of digital twins, i.e. geometric simulations of the layer, based on the current manufacturing process parameters. Thanks to the use of digital twins, our vision system is able to: use high-resolution imaging only where it is needed, by following the predicted positions of the layer contours while acquiring a sequence of images; algorithmically interpret each image by concentrating only on interesting regions as suggested by the simulated prediction, thus reducing the risk for false positives; and finally monitor contour quality by performing a more accurate comparison between the measurement and a reference contour obtained by a simulation which replicates the actual fingerprint of the process, as opposed to simply relying on the edge obtained by slicing the CAD model. The in-process monitoring capability of the computer vision system is demonstrated through the fabrication of acceptable and defected instances of a test geometry. Fabrication issues are effectively and efficiently detected by the system and alarms are triggered that can be used to command early termination of the build process or to initiate corrective actions.

The aims achieved in this work have been the development of a software for the processing of thermal imaging films in frequency domain which makes the use of the thermovision useful to the assessment of the fatigue damageability of components loaded by random loads conditions. To this aim an experimental test rig and the relative measuring chain was built. The measuring system allows to analyze a system or a mechanical component providing the user, in addition to the usual thermographic output, a whole series of results of both local and global type.

Olive growing is an important cultural and traditional system in the Mediterranean region that has considerable environmental impacts. Italy is ranked second in the world in terms of olive production and olive-cultivated area. Apulia is Italy's largest olive growing region and accounts for 33% of the total Italian surface area planted to olive trees. Organic farming is assumed to have beneficial effects by reducing the environmental impacts of agricultural practices. However, literature shows that this system is not always less harmful to the environment than the conventional one. This study investigates this hypothesis through the comparison of environmental impacts and economic performances between organic and conventional olive systems in Apulia region. It also provides options to optimize the agricultural practices that could contribute to the reduction of the environmental impacts. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied to evaluate the environmental impacts, and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) was utilized to assess the economic performance of the studied systems referring to one hectare as functional unit and to a system boundary limited to olive production (cradle-to-farm gate). Results showed a lower environmental impact of agricultural practices in the organic system, mainly due to the higher efficiency in reducing the impact on fossil fuel depletion. Moreover, the organic system resulted to have higher Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return values that indicate its higher profitability as compared to the conventional system. Optimization of fertilization is the first priority to optimize olive growing, particularly in the organic system, since manure fertilization results in higher costs and higher environmental impact on almost all impact categories compared to synthetic foliar fertilization. Good agricultural practices with electrically-driven irrigation system, mechanical weeding and biological pest control, no-tillage or reduced tillage can be considered as further optimization options to mitigate environmental burdens and reduce their costs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The advantages of the Friction Stir Welding process compared to conventional fusion welding technologies have been clearly demonstrated in recent years. In this study, the metal matrix composite under investigation was a 7005 aluminium alloy reinforced with 10% of alumina particles Friction Stir Welded by employing a tool rotating speed of 600 RPM and a welding speed of 250 mm/min. The optical and scanning electron microscopy observations performed on the different zones of FSW joints cross section revealed the different structures of the nugget, the thermo-mechanical affected zone and the heat affected zones thanks to the difference due to the strong grain refinement produced by the dynamic recrystallization acting during the severe plastic deformation to which the material is subjected during welding. Only a few data are available in the literature on the fatigue behaviour of these materials. The principal aim of this work is to apply thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) to the study of crack formation and propagation of friction stir welded MMC sheets, during cyclic fatigue tests. Fatigue tests were carried out under the axial total stress-amplitude control mode with R=σmin/σmax = 0.1 using a resonant electro-mechanical testing machine (TESTRONICTM 50± 25 KN by RUMUL (SUI)). All the mechanical tests were performed up to failure which occurred at the interface with the welded area. The TSA measurement system allowed crack evolution to be observed in real-time during fatigue cycles and stress fields to be derived on the specimens from the temperature variation measured. KEYWORDS FSW

Since a fraction of ingested ethanol (EtOH) is metabolized by gastric mucosa, different amounts of alcohol should reach the liver, when the same dose is administered by oral or intravenous route. Accordingly, we demonstrated that the hepatic depletion of glutathione induced by EtOH is lower when it is administered orally rather than intraperitoneally (i.p.). In the present study we investigated, after EtOH load, the time-course of common serum liver damage tests and of α-glutathione-S-transferase (αGST) levels as a new indicator of hepatocellular injury in rats. The tests were also performed in Cimetidine-treated rats. Oral EtOH administration was followed by a less pronounced decrease and by a quicker recovery of hepatic glutathione than after i.p. route. After oral EtOH load, Cimetidine, a potent inhibitor of gastric alcohol-dehydrogenase, produced a decrease of hepatic glutathione significantly (P

Since some H2-receptor antagonists, like cimetidine or ranitidine, affect ethanol metabolism by interference with gastric and/or hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) it was investigated whether omeprazole has a similar effect and its effects were compared with those of cimetidine, an inhibitor of gastric ADH. The first-pass metabolism (FPM), quantified by measuring the difference between areas under the curve (AUC) of ethanol blood concentrations after oral intake or intravenous administration of the same amount (0.3 g kg−1 b.w.) of ethanol (EtOH), was studied before and after 1 week of omeprazole (20 mg daily) or cimetidine (800 mg daily) administration in 10 normal male volunteers. ADH activity was determined in gastric mucosal samples, collected during endoscopy, before and after 1 month of omeprazole treatment. The effect of the drugs on gastric and hepatic ADHs was studied in vitro in both rat and man. No significant effect of omeprazole was found on AUCs of the blood EtOH concentrations. The ADH activity in antral mucosa before and after omeprazole therapy did not show significant differences. In vitro, omeprazole reduced the activity of the low Km gastric ADH with a Ki of 5.6 mm in rat and the hepatic ADH activity with a Ki of 2.4 mm in man, whereas the drug did not show any effect on hepatic ADH in rat and gastric ADH in man. On the contrary, cimetidine increased the AUCs of EtOH blood concentrations after both gastric and intravenous route and, in the in vitro assay, inhibited gastric and hepatic ADH in both man and rat. These results indicate that omeprazole does not affect EtOH metabolism in man and seems to be safer than cimetidine in subjects unable to reduce ethanol intake during the therapy for peptic ulcer or other hypersecretory conditions.

The role of polyamines in cartilage is not known: they may be somehow related to the mechanism of calcification. In epiphyseal cartilage from calf scapulas, they are more concentrated in the ossifying area, where calcification takes place, than in the resting region. Spermidine is present in greater amounts than spermine and putrescine. Since ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) is measurable only in the resting region of the tissue, it is in this area that polyamine biosynthesis occurs, while they accumulate in the ossifying area. Immunohistochemical evidence is obtained that only in the ossifying zone is spermidine extracellular. It is at this level that the matrix is rearranged to become calcified, and proteoglycans are dissociated and partially removed. The effect of polyamines on solutions of proteoglycan subunits has been studied in vitro by following variations of turbidity and viscosity. While in the presence of putrescine the specific viscosity decreases to asymptotic values, in the presence of either 30 mM spermidine or 2.5-10 mM spermine, the decrement is more marked. At the same concentrations, increase of the turbidity of proteoglycan subunit solutions was observed. Only spermidine showed the capacity of displacing proteoglycan subunits from a column of Sepharose 4B-type II collagen: at 15 mM concentration, about 90% of proteoglycans were removed from the column. Alkaline phosphatase activity, which plays an important role in calcification, is enhanced by spermidine and spermine. These results obtained in vitro support the hypothesis that polyamines may be related to calcification of preosseous cartilage.