Search Results (22)

Soundscape is the sonic environment that a living being, like a human or animal, experiences in a certain setting. It affects how a space functions and how the being perceives its quality. Consequently, the soundscape is crucial in ecosystems globally. In recent decades, researchers have explored soundscapes using various methodologies across different disciplines. This study aims to provide a brief overview of the soundscape research history, pinpoint key authors, institutions, and collaboration networks, and identify trends and main themes through a bibliometric analysis. A search in the Scopus database on 26 February 2025 found 5825 articles, reviews, and conference papers on soundscape published from 1985 to 2024. The analysis indicated a significant increase in soundscape publications, rising from 1 in 1985 to 19 in 2002, and reaching 586 in 2024. J. Kang was the most prolific author with 265 publications, while University College London emerged as the most productive institution. Co-citation analysis revealed three research groups: one focused on urban soundscapes, another on aquatic soundscapes, and a third on soundscapes in landscape ecology. The keyword co-occurrence analysis identified three themes: “soundscape(s), acoustic environment, and urban planning”, “noise, animal(s), bioacoustics, biodiversity, passive acoustic monitoring, fish, and bird(s)”, and “human(s), sound, perception, and physiology”. Full article

The increase in new infrastructure development has raised closer attention to the environmental noise of new expansion areas. This study investigates the urban evolution of Terracini Street’s surrounding area in the Navile district, Bologna, Italy. In the last 20 years, this area has undergone various transformations, from a suburban industrial area to a new university and residential one. First, the morphologic and infrastructural characteristics of the site are established. Then, the existing regulations (acoustic, urban, and infrastructural regulations, whether local or national) are evaluated. Next, the results of environmental noise measurements are presented. Since a heavily trafficked infrastructure is very close to the occupied public area, noise limits are severely exceeded. A noise mitigation design stage follows, focusing on a novel noise barrier design. Specifically, particular attention is paid to the visual and ecological impact of the noise barrier on the area’s landscape, which must be representative of the new location of the School of Engineering. The sonic crystal technique is exploited to implement an effective noise barrier (average insertion loss of 10 dB(A) in the 200 Hz–1 kHz range), allowing air ventilation and visual transparency. This case study could further evolve using other acoustic metamaterial techniques or in different application sites. Full article

Nanoencapsulation has become a recent advancement in drug delivery, enhancing stability, bioavailability, and enabling controlled, targeted substance delivery to specific cells or tissues. However, traditional nanoparticle delivery faces challenges such as a short circulation time and immune recognition. To tackle these issues, cell membrane-coated nanoparticles have been suggested as a practical alternative. The production process involves three main stages: cell lysis and membrane fragmentation, membrane isolation, and nanoparticle coating. Cell membranes are typically fragmented using hypotonic lysis with homogenization or sonication. Subsequent membrane fragments are isolated through multiple centrifugation steps. Coating nanoparticles can be achieved through extrusion, sonication, or a combination of both methods. Notably, this analysis reveals the absence of a universally applicable method for nanoparticle coating, as the three stages differ significantly in their procedures. This review explores current developments and approaches to cell membrane-coated nanoparticles, highlighting their potential as an effective alternative for targeted drug delivery and various therapeutic applications. Full article

Recent high-resolution large-eddy simulations (LES) of a stable atmospheric boundary layer (SBL) with mesh sizes $N=({512}^3,{1024}^3,{2048}^3)$ or mesh spacings $▵=(0.78,0.39,0.2)$ m are analyzed. The LES solutions are judged to be converged based on the good collapse of vertical profiles of mean winds, temperature, and low-order turbulence moments, i.e., fluxes and variances, with increasing N. The largest discrepancy is in the stably stratified region above the low-level jet. Subfilter-scale (SFS) motions are extracted from the LES with $N={2048}^3$ and are compared to sonic anemometer fields from the horizontal array turbulence study (HATS) and its sequel over the ocean (OHATS). The results from the simulation and observations are compared using the dimensionless resolution ratio ${\Lambda }_w/{▵}_f$ where ${▵}_f$ is the filter width and ${\Lambda }_w$ is a characteristic scale of the energy-containing eddies in vertical velocity. The SFS motions from the observations and LES span the ranges $0.1<{\Lambda }_w/{▵}_f<20$ and are in good agreement. The small, medium, and large range of ${\Lambda }_w/{▵}_f$ correspond to Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS), the gray zone (a.k.a. “Terra Incognita”), and fine-resolution LES. The gray zone cuts across the peak in the energy spectrum and then flux parameterizations need to be adaptive and account for partially resolved flux but also “stochastic” flux fluctuations that represent the turbulent correlation between the fluctuating rate of strain and SFS flux tensors. LES data with mesh 2048${}^3$ will be made available to the research community through the web and tools provided by the Johns Hopkins University Turbulence Database. Full article

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the deadliest neoplasm of the urinary tract, and we are still far from completely understanding ccRCC development and treatment. The renal tissue paraffin blocks (20) of patients with ccRCC were collected at the University Hospital in Split from 2019 to 2020, and tissue sections were stained with patched (PTCH), anti-smoothened (SMO) and anti-Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) antibodies. SHH was highly expressed (31.9%) in grade 1 tumour, it being higher than all other grades and the control (p < 0.001–p < 0.0001). The trend of a linear decrease in the expression of SHH was observed with the progression of the tumour grade (p < 0.0001). PTCH expression was significantly lower in grades 1 and 2 in comparison to the control (p < 0.01) and grade 4 (p < 0.0001). A significant increase in the expression of SMO was found in grade 4 compared to all other grades (p < 0.0001) and the control (p < 0.001). The strong expression of SHH was observed in carcinoma cells of the G1 stage with a diffuse staining pattern (>50% of neoplastic cells). Stroma and/or inflammatory infiltrate display no staining and no expression of SHH in G1 and G2, while mild focal staining (10–50% of neoplastic cells) was observed in G3 and G4. Patients with high PTCH and low SMO expression had significant time survival differences (p = 0.0005 and p = 0.029, respectively). Therefore, high levels of PTCH and low levels of SMO expression are important markers of better survival rates in ccRCC patients. Full article

Training blind and visually impaired individuals is an important but often neglected aspect of Assistive Technology solutions (ATs) that can benefit from systems utilizing multiple sensors and hardware devices. Training serves a dual purpose as it not only enables the target group to effectively utilize the ATs but, also, helps in improving their low acceptance rate. In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and validation of a smartphone-based training application. It is a form of immersive system that enables users to learn the features of an outdoor blind pedestrian navigation application and, simultaneously, to help them develop long-term Orientation and Mobility (O&M) skills. The system consists of an Android application leveraging, as data sources, an external high-accuracy GPS sensor for real-time pedestrian mobility tracking, a second custom-made device attached to traffic lights for identifying their status, and an ultra-sonic sensor for detecting near-field obstacles on the navigation path of the users. The training version running as an Android application employs route simulation with audio and haptic feedback, is functionally equivalent to the main application, and was used in the context of specially designed user-centered training sessions. A Usability and User Experience (UX) evaluation revealed the positive attitude of the users towards the training version as well as their satisfaction with the skills acquired during their training sessions (SUS = 69.1, UEQ+ = 1.53). Further confirming the positive attitude was the conduct of a Recursive Neural Network (RNN)-based sentiment analysis on user responses with a score of 3 on a scale from 0 to 4. Finally, we conclude with the lessons learned and the proposal of general design guidelines concerning the observed lack of accessibility and non-universal interfaces. Full article

Plaque biofilm is considered one of the etiological factors involved in the onset of caries and gingivitis, and is associated with the progression of periodontitis and peri-implant inflammation. There is no agreement in the literature on the effectiveness of the oscillating-rotating (OR) powered toothbrush (PTB) and high-frequency sonic (HFS) PTB in improving oral health. Thus, using the present proof-of-concept study we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of OR PTB versus HFS PTB in terms of the improvement in plaque, gingival inflammation, and lingual patina indexes in dental hygiene university students. Dental hygiene students from the University of Eastern Piedmont “A. Avogadro” of Novara, Italy from November 2019 to October 2021 were recruited. Based on the type of toothbrush previously used for at-home plaque removal, the study participants were divided into two groups: Group 1 (subjects that used MTB prior to the study beginning, asked to use OR PTB for 2 times/day for a minimum of 3 months) and Group 2 (subjects that used HFS PTB prior to the study beginning). All the participants were instructed to avoid floss aids during the study (i.e., pipe cleaners, dental floss, and mouthwash). The outcome measures were: New Method of Plaque Scoring (NMPS), simplified Oral Disease Index (OHI-S), Plaque Control Record (PCR), Gingival Bleeding Index, and Winkel Tongue Coating Index (WTCI). All the outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0) in both groups and after 3 months (T1) in Group 1. Fifty-seven subjects (44 females and 13 males) were included and allocated to the study group (n = 30, 22 females and 8 males) and control group (n = 27, 22 females and 5 males). At T0, all the indexes were significantly higher in Group 2 (p < 0.0001). At T1, NMPS, OHI-S, PCR, GBI, and WTCI were statistically improved in Group 1 (p < 0.0001). Lastly, there was a statistically significant difference between Group 1 at T1 and Group 2 at T0 in terms of NMPS (p = 0.043), OHI-S (p = 0.032), and PCR (p < 0.001). Taken together, the findings of this proof-of-concept study showed the effectiveness over a 3-month period of both oscillating-rotating and sonic PTB in terms of oral health status in a sample of dental hygiene students. Full article

The characterization of poplar wood assumes a strategic position to increase the competitiveness of the entire forest wood supply chain. From this aspect, the identification of wood quality represents a primary objective for researchers and private landowners. The quality of wood can be defined via traditional visual methods based on the experience of technicians or using traditional tools, such as incremental drills and sound hammers. The traditional properties of these traits, based only on visual characteristics, can outline a classification based on the macroscopic properties of wood with the aim of defining the volume of recoverable wood. However, this approach does not provide a good indicator of the physical or mechanical properties of wood. Mechanical tests of wood require the felling of trees with the correlated preparation of the specimens. A different solution to determine wood quality is based on the application of non-destructive technology (NDT). In this context, the aim of the present study was to determine the predictive accuracy of non-destructive analysis of the MOEd in standing trees and logs of a 22-year-old poplar clone and to examine the relationship with MOEs in sawn specimens. This relationship was also studied at three different stem heights. We non-destructively measured poplar trees and green logs using TreeSonic and Resonance Log Grader and compared the results with those obtained via a destructive method using a universal testing machine. The results showed that for clone I-214 poplar trees, the dynamic elastic moduli of standing trees and logs were validly correlated with the static elastic modulus. These results suggest that it is possible to evaluate the mechanical properties of poplar wood directly from standing trees using non-destructive techniques (NDT) and that this tool can be easily used to presort material in the forest. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Endostar REvision system (Poldent, Warsaw, Poland) in the removal of filling materials from oval root canals using sonic irrigation as an additional cleaning method. Thirty human-extracted mandibular premolars with oval canals were prepared using the ProTaper Universal system (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) up to instrument F1 (20/.07), and then filled by the continuous wave vertical compaction technique using pulp canal sealer EWT (Sybron Dental Specialties, Orange, CA, USA). The teeth were randomly divided into two groups (n = 15) according to the instrumentation system and the additional cleaning method, as follows: REvision (30/.08, 25/.06) with EQ-S sonic activation (Meta Biomed, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea), REvision (30/.08, 25/.06) without additional activation. All specimens were sectioned longitudinally at 3 and 7 mm from the apex, and analyzed using digital microscopy (KEYENCE, Osaka, Japan) to measure the total area of the residual obturation materials, followed by SEM analysis. The data on the percentage of remaining filling material were analyzed by Kruskal–Wallis one-way Analysis of Variance on ranks. None of the retreatment protocols completely removed the filling material from the root canals (p > 0.05); the retreatment technique using sonic activation showed statistically less residual filling materials than the retreatment technique using irrigants without activation at the coronal third (p < 0.05), whilst no significant difference was found between both tested groups at the apical and middle thirds (p > 0.05). The REvision system showed promising results in the removal of filling materials from oval canals. Full article

Analysis and diagnosis of historical masonry buildings are frequently affected by uncertainties due to unexpected behaviors caused by cumulative damage, material decay or transformations. This research work follows a methodology in the structural analysis of the historical masonry church of San Filippo Neri in Macerata, severely damaged after the Central Italy Earthquake occurred in October 2016. The PRiSMa laboratory (Proof testing and Research in Structures and Materials) of Roma Tre University carried out an extensive onsite testing campaign, including NDT tests as sonic tomography and endoscopy, and minor destructive technique as double flat jack test, together with dynamic monitoring under ambient vibrations, to investigate the state of conservation of the building. The onsite testing results were then implemented in an accurate finite element model, which was tuned up by means of global dynamic response provided by OMA (operational modal analysis) and updated, after the sensitivity analysis, through the Douglas-Reid method. Finally, nonlinear static and dynamic analyses were performed to investigate the state of damage of the church and reduce its uncertainties. This methodology will support the design of strengthening measures to achieve a higher level of safety concerning both needs of protection and conservation, thereby avoiding ineffectual or amiss interventions. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of conventional and sonic activation techniques on push-out bond strength of fiber post cemented with two different monomers containing self-adhesive resin cement (SARC). Four groups (n = 19 each) were made based on the type of SARC (Rely X U200 and Panavia SA) and technique (conventional and sonic activation). After placing the fiber post, each root was sectioned into 2 mm coronal, middle, and apical portions, and a push-out bond strength test was performed using a universal testing machine. The least push-out bond strength (13.0 ± 0.9 MPa) was found in Rely X U200 conventional technique and highest with Panavia SA sonic activation technique (15.4 ± 0.9 MPa). A significant difference was found in push-out bond strength at coronal (p = 0.002), middle (p = 0.002), and apical (p = 0.001) root sections using Rely X U200 cement with sonic activation as compared to the conventional technique. However, no difference (p > 0.05) was noticed between conventional and sonic activation techniques in Panavia SA cement at any root level. Sonic activation can be used as an adjunct with a manual technique to increase bond strength. However, it was noted that 10-MDP monomer containing SARC performed well regardless of techniques. Full article

Vitamin D deficiency is being recognized as a global issue and has been implicated in many health issues. Hence, there is an increased interest in developing sensitive, reproducible, and non-invasive assays to measure Vitamin D levels. This study aimed to apply a sensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric assay to hair samples to develop and validate a clinical assay to provide a quarterly average level of vitamin D in one test. Hair samples were collected from 70 male university students/young adults and pulverized/sonicated in methanol/water for 2 h to extract Vitamin D metabolites. A sensitive liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay was employed to quantitate vitamin D and metabolites. Of the eight Vitamin D and metabolites screened, only the primary, clinically significant form of vitamin D (25OHD₃) was detected and quantified in hair samples in the range of 17–1541 pg/mg. One-third of the hair samples (21 out of 70) had Vitamin D levels below the LLOD of the assay (10 pg/mg). The mean and standard deviation values for hair (25OHD₃) were 276.7 ± 329.9, respectively. This pilot study reveals the potential of the vitamin D hair test in clinical assays as a complementary test to a vitamin D blood test, which would provide a quarterly average. Full article

This study investigated the effects of the packing density and particle size distribution of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of TiO₂–epoxy nanocomposites (NCs). The uniform dispersion and good interfacial bonding of TiO₂ in the epoxy resin resulted in improved mechanical properties with the addition of nanoparticles. Reinforcement nano-TiO₂ particles dispersed in deionized water produced by three different ultrasonic dispersion methods were used; the ultrasonication effects were then compared. The nano-TiO₂ suspension was added at 0.5–5.0 wt.%, and the mechanical and thermal properties of TiO₂–epoxy NCs were compared using a universal testing machine, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The tensile strength of the NCs was improved by the dispersion strengthening effect of the TiO₂ nanoparticles, and focused sonication improved the tensile strength the most when nano-TiO₂ suspensions with a particle size of 100 nm or smaller were used. Thus, the reinforcing effect of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the epoxy resin was observed, and the nano-TiO₂ suspension produced by focused sonication showed a more distinct reinforcing effect. Full article

Graphene oxide (GO) derivatives are reported as a valid alternative to conventional carriers of therapeutic agents, because they have a large surface area, an excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and a great capacity for selective binding of drugs and therapeutics, due to the functionalization of their surfaces, edges and sides. In this work GO nanosheets, synthesized by electrochemical exfoliation of graphite (patent N 102015000023739, Tor Vergata University), were investigated as possible carriers of an anticancer drug, the S29, an inhibitor of a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase (c-SRC) on a neuroblastoma cell line (SK N BE 2 cells). Neuroblastoma is a heterogenous tumor whose characteristics range from spontaneous regression to aggressive phenotypes that are due to different mutations that often occur in SRC family kinases. Inhibitors of tyrosine kinases are currently investigated for their anti-tumoral effects on aggressive neuroblastomas, but their uptake in cells and pharmacokinetics needs to be improved. In this work S29 was stably conjugated with highly water-dispersible GO nanoparticles. S29/GO complex formation was induced by 1h sonication and its stability was analyzed by chromatography coupled with spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry. The synthesized composite (GO-S29) was delivered into SK N BE 2 cells and its effects on cell viability, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and migration were studied. The results show that the compound GO-S29 exerts anti-tumoral effects on the neuroblastoma cell line, higher than both GO and S29 do alone and that GO has an additive effect on S29. Full article

Background: This work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of sonic agitation of a binary mixture of solvents (methyl ethyl ketone/tetrachloroethylene) on filling remnants removal and compare the effects of solvent agitation with the enlargement to the next instrument size. Methods: Twenty-four mandibular incisors were prepared with ProTaper Next (X1, X2) and obturated with the single-cone technique and AH Plus sealer. The teeth were retreated with ProTaper Universal Retreatment and ProTaper Next and divided into two groups (n = 12) according to the final instrument (X3 or X4). All canals were submitted to a supplementary procedure consisting of a mixture of solvents―methyl ethyl ketone/tetrachloroethylene, agitated with EndoActivator. The volume of filling remnants was assessed through micro-computed tomography in the apical 5 mm. Statistical analysis was performed with a significance level of 5%. Results: The supplementary procedure of agitation of the solvent mixture was beneficial in both groups (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between canals re-prepared until X4 and canals re-prepared until X3 plus solvent (p > 0.05). Conclusions: An additional step with a two-solvent solution potentiated by EndoActivator showed to be very effective for the removal of gutta-percha and resinous sealer remnants from apical root canals of mandibular incisors, avoiding further enlargement. Full article