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This paper presents a new flexible compact multi-modal imaging setup referred to as PEPI (Photon-counting Edge-illumination Phase-contrast imaging) Lab, which is based on the edge-illumination (EI) technique and a chromatic detector. The system enables both X-ray phase-contrast (XPCI) and spectral (XSI) imaging of samples on the centimeter scale. This work conceptually follows all the stages in its realization, from the design to the first imaging results. The setup can be operated in four different modes, i.e. photon-counting/conventional, spectral, double-mask EI, and single-mask EI, whereby the switch to any modality is fast, software controlled, and does not require any hardware modification or lengthy re-alignment procedures. The system specifications, ranging from the X-ray tube features to the mask material and aspect ratio, have been quantitatively studied and optimized through a dedicated Geant4 simulation platform, guiding the choice of the instrumentation. The realization of the imaging setup, both in terms of hardware and control software, is detailed and discussed with a focus on practical/experimental aspects. Flexibility and compactness (66 cm source-to-detector distance in EI) are ensured by dedicated motion stages, whereas spectral capabilities are enabled by the Pixirad-1/Pixie-III detector in combination with a tungsten anode X-ray source operating in the range 40–100 kVp. The stability of the system, when operated in EI, has been verified, and drifts leading to mask misalignment of less than 1 $$\upmu$$ μ m have been measured over a period of 54 h. The first imaging results, one for each modality, demonstrate that the system fulfills its design requirements. Specifically, XSI tomographic images of an iodine-based phantom demonstrate the system’s quantitativeness and sensibility to concentrations in the order of a few mg/ml. Planar XPCI images of a carpenter bee specimen, both in single and double-mask modes, demonstrate that refraction sensitivity (below 0.6 $$\upmu$$ μ rad in double-mask mode) is comparable with other XPCI systems based on microfocus sources. Phase CT capabilities have also been tested on a dedicated plastic phantom, where the phase channel yielded a 15-fold higher signal-to-noise ratio with respect to attenuation.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a red wine grape variety of Vitis vinifera L., grown in Central Italy. It is mainly identified with Abruzzo region, where it currently accounts for around 50% of the regional vineyard. Malolactic fermentation (MLF) has a crucial role in red wines giving microbial stabilization, biological deacidification through the decarboxylation of l-malic acid to l( +)-lactic acid and carbon dioxide, and increasing complexity of wine aroma. Studies are focusing on the selection of yeast starter cultures for this wine, while few studies are available on malolactic bacteria. Therefore, a technological (ability to grow up at different pH, concentration of SO2, ethanol, presence of hdc, tdc and odc genes, conversion of malic acid into lactic acid) and genetic characterization of autochthonous Oenococcus oeni strains was performed. Moreover, O. oeni strain with the best traits was selected and produced by a local starter industry and used in cellar to produce Montepulciano d’Abruzzo organic wine without added SO2. Obtained wines not only maintained the typical traits of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines but also showed healthy characteristics since wines were histamine free. Selected starter is actually produced and dispensed on demand and in a frozen concentrate culture for wineries.

A methodology is proposed to provide a guided process for modularization of manufacturing system components within the broader design process. The application focus is on manufacturing systems, including flow processes. Component clusters are formed by simultaneously considering physical-functional and strategic drivers that are fundamental to a more holistic partitioning of the system. The clustering algorithm now includes the ability to compel component unification or separation. A broad review of modularization methods was conducted to improve upon the state-of-the-art. Current methodologies can be difficult to use, are disjoint in their goals, lack objectivity, and do not produce externally repeatable solutions. The proposed methodology aims to improve upon these limitations by providing a step-by-step framework and integrating strategic and technical perspectives when clustering. The methodology is structured to guide the user toward a deeper understanding of the system, whether or not one is an expert, whereby the designer can focus more on the technical and strategic issues that should inform the modularization. A realistic case study for the modularization of a transportable fast pyrolysis plant was performed to evaluate the meaningfulness of the methodology’s results. The methodology clustered components into modules consistent with the information provided to the model, reflecting what would be expected from a deep understanding of the system.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of phase-contrast mammography with synchrotron radiation using a high-resolution computed radiology (CR) system devoted to mammography.The study was performed at the Synchrotron Radiation for Medical Physics (SYRMEP) beamline of the Elettra synchrotron radiation (SR) facility in Trieste (Italy); X-ray beams were in the range 16-22 keV with a high degree of monochromaticity and spatial coherence. The CR system evaluated is the FCR Profect CS by Fujifilm Global. The first images were obtained from test objects and surgical breast specimens. Images obtained using SR and both screen-film and the CR system were compared with images of the same samples acquired with digital mammography equipment. In view of the good quality of the results obtained, the CR system was used in two mammographic examinations with SR.Images acquired using SR and both screen-film and CR were obtained with the same level of delivered dose. Image quality obtained with CR was similar or superior to that of screen-film images. Moreover, the digital images obtained with SR were always better than those acquired using the digital mammography system.Phase-contrast mammography with SR using the studied CR system is a feasible option.

Wine samples of Red Sangiovese wines were aged for 3 months using three different techniques (chips, lees, and micro-oxygenation) separately or combined. Later, their evolution in bottle was monitored for 5 months. At the end of aging, the main effect on selected volatile compounds was related to chips addition: as a matter of fact, chips increased aromatic compounds derived from oak, such as vanilla and burnt/toasted aromas. Micro-oxygenation induced a lower amount of 4-ethyl guaiacol than in its control. The combined use of micro-oxygenation and yeast lees led to a lower amount of guaiacol and vanillin than in its control. Wine evolution in bottle was significantly affected by the up-cited aging techniques. The use of chips led to a decrease in 4-ethyl guaiacol than in control. Micro-oxygenation reduced guaiacol and whisky lactone decrease and the increase in 4-ethyl guaiacol. The combined use of chips, micro-oxygenation, and yeast lees reduced the decrease in whisky lactone in a not significant way, instead of all the other trials. A descriptive analysis of wines put in evidence that micro-oxygenation combined with the use of chips and yeast lees reduced astringency, increased balance, and enhanced vanilla perception.

An explorative study to verify the applicability of reductive winemaking (RW) on two cultivars was carried out. To this purpose, traditional winemaking (TW) and RW were carried out on a semi-aromatic white grape (Sauvignon blanc) and a white neutral one (Trebbiano romagnolo). All phenolic parameters were higher in RW wines, while other substances such as alcohol, reducing sugars, acids, and volatile acidity acids were less affected by the different winemaking technique. A deeper yellow color (OD 420) was a direct consequence of the higher phenolic content of RW wines, while OD 320 was strictly related to caftaric acid integrity. Analyses showed a modification of the RW wines, also in the case of a neutral cultivar. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the data set, and the first two PCs explained almost 85% of the total variability and divided TW and RW wines in two groups to demonstrate that the effect of winemaking overwhelmed maturation differences. Panelists preferred RW wines, which were characterized by a richer and more delicate aroma. The study demonstrated that a careful exclusion of air combined with an effective oxidation prevention yields to more characterized and pleasant wines.

A juvenile male megamouth shark was caught by a commercial longline vessel off Brazil. This specimen is the only juvenile megamouth examined and the only one from the Atlantic Ocean. Megamouth shark is one of the rarest sharks in the world. Only 14 specimens have been reported since its description in 1983 by Taylor et al. All previous specimens examined have been adults from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It appears that the species is cosmopolitan.

A method is proposed for the determination of sorbic acid in wines using a hydrogen sulfonated divinyl benzene-styrene copolymer (DVB-H) HPLC column and isocratic elution with 0.01N H2SO4:CH3CN (75:25). UV detection at 258 nm permits analysis by direct injection of white and red wines without significant interference between the peaks of sorbic acid and other sample components. The limit of detectability of the method is 0.01 mg L−1 with an average recovery of 99.6% and an average % RSD of 0.87. Analyses of 30 wine samples by the proposed method and the official EEC spectrophotometric method show that there is a good correlation between the results of the two methods, although the HPLC analyses are clearly more precise and accurate.

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigation ofγ-Zr (HP04)2·2 H2O and its intercalation compounds with 1,10-phenanthroline, Co2+-phenanthroline and Cu2+-phenanthroline is described. The analysis of theNls spectra of the compound containing only phenanthroline clearly shows that, on average, more than one nitrogen atom of the diamine interacts with the acid groups of the host, giving protonated species. XPS also provides evidence of the coordination of Co2+ and Cu2+ ions after their diffusion in the phenanthroline-γ-zirconium phosphate intercalation compound. They form mixed N-and O-coordinated species with the diamine and the oxygens of the interlayer region, but the presence of the characteristic peaks of uncoordinated phenanthroline, even at low intensity, shows that the diamine molecules anchored to the host are still present.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provides evidence that when [Cu(phen)2]2+(phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) is diffused between the layers of α-zirconium phosphate, the complex species does not remain intact after intercalation, but some Cu-N bonds are broken, replaced with Cu-O bonds and the released nitrogen atoms can now interact with the PO3-OH groups of the host. XPS also provides evidence for coordination of the Cu2+ ions when they are diffused by ion exchange in the phenanthroline-α-zirconium phosphate intercalation compound. Although Cu2+ and phen are in a 1 : 1 molar ratio in the interlayer region of the host, so that a 1 : 1 coordination could be expected between the two species, the characteristic peaks of the uncoordinated phenanthroline, even though at a low intensity, are still present. The differences between the two Cu(II)-intercalation compounds are discussed.