Hemp is a promising plant for phytomanagement. The possibility to couple soil restoration to industrial crop cultivation makes this plant attractive for the management of contaminated sites. In this trial, Cannabis sativa L. plants were grown in a greenhouse on soils from two sites of “Valle del Sacco” (Lazio Region, Italy), a wide area contaminated by agro-industrial activities. One site was representative of moderate and diffuse metal(loid) multi-contamination, above the Italian concentration limit for agriculture (MC—moderately contaminated). The second site showed a metal(loid) content below the aforementioned limit, as a typical background level of the district (C—control). After 90 days, biometric and physiological parameters revealed satisfactory growth in both soil types. MC-grown plants showed a slight, but significant reduction in leaf area, root, and leaf biomass compared with C-grown plants. Chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, namely the quantum yield of primary photochemistry (Fv/Fm) and the Performance Index (PIABS), confirmed the good physiological status of plants in both soils. Metal(loid) analyses revealed that As, V, and Pb accumulated only in the roots with significant differences in MC- and C-grown plants, while Zn was found in all organs. Overall, preliminary results showed a satisfactorily growth coupled with the restriction of toxic metal translocation in MC-grown hemp plants, opening perspectives for the phytomanagement of moderately contaminated areas.

Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an electromyography-guided adjustment of an occlusal appliance on the management of Temporomandibular disorder-related pain. Methods: Data from 40 adult patients (20 males and 20 females), who underwent treatment with occlusal appliances, were recorded. A total of 20 appliances were adjusted according to electromyographic data (group 1), while the others were adjusted by a clinical conventional procedure (group 2). Muscle pain to palpation, pain during articular movements and headache were recorded by a VAS score (from 0 to 100) before the beginning of treatment (T0), at T1 (4 weeks) and T2 (8 weeks). Results: Results showed a reduction of pain in both groups, with a better trend for group 1, where better results were achieved at T1 and maintained stability at T2, with an improved mean value regarding all parameters studied. After 8 weeks, only small recurrences started to occur in muscle pain to palpation in group 2. Conclusions: An occlusal appliance seems to be able to achieve a clinical improvement of Temporomandibular disorder (TMD)-related pain and headache, independently from the adjustment procedure adopted. However, the use of a surface electromyographic activity of masticatory muscles (sEMG) device as an aid in the calibration procedure seems to allow a better trend because the improvement of symptoms was obtained before, after the first four weeks, with an improvement in percentages of all the variables investigated. While the conventional procedure obtained later the improvement.

In thermo-fluid-dynamics, the important role played by the boundary layer phenomena is well known. In order to set up an experimental tool, able to measure fluid dynamic magnitudes in the boundary layer, many efforts have been made and some advanced measurements have been developed. Since the mid-sixties, infrared thermography has been applied as a measurement technique. Primarily, this technique was used in space missions where the protection of space vehicles in the reentry phase was of prime importance. Nowadays, thermography is one of the most advanced non-intrusive measurement techniques and present many advantages such as no-needs for particular settings of system under analysis. Therefore, considering that boundary layer continues to be a fundamental aspect in fluid-dynamics studies, the present work wants to dwell on the possibility to enlarge the application of the infrared measurement technique, in particular for subsonic flows in passive mode. These conditions point out important problems of measurement for the low energy content and for the type of thermal exchange that can not be simplified as it is traditionally made in supersonic flows. Either the possibility to operate with modern infrared cameras or the improvements of new theoretical models in the data reduction process will be described in this paper and an application to an airfoil will be presented. The measurement technique used in this paper can be applied to any aerodynamic profile and can be easily used as a non intrusive technique to characterize the flow fields of blade cascades for gas tubrines and turbomachinery in general