Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage is something more than a simple process of maintaining the existing. It is an integral part of the improvement of the cultural asset. The social context around the restoration shapes the specific actions. Today, preservation, restoration, enhancement of cultural heritage are increasingly a multidisciplinary science, meeting point of researchers coming from heterogeneous study areas. Data scientists and Information technology (IT) specialists are increasingly important. In this context, networks of a new generation of smart sensors integrated with data mining and artificial intelligence play a crucial role and aim to become the new skin of cultural assets.

Aquaponics is an innovative agricultural method combining aquaculture and hydroponics. However, this balance can lead to the gradual depletion of essential micronutrients, particularly iron. Over time, decreasing iron levels can negatively impact plant health and productivity, making the monitoring and management of iron in aquaponic systems vital. This study investigates the use of Fe-Alg-CaCO₃ microparticles (MPs) as foliar fertilizer on lettuce plants in an aquaponic system. The research investigated Lactuca sativa L. cv. Foglia di Quercia Verde plants as the experimental cultivar. Three iron concentrations (10, 50, and 250 ppm) were tested, with 15 plants per treatment group, plus a control group receiving only sterile double-distilled water. The Fe-Alg-CaCO₃ MPs and ultrapure water were applied directly to the leaves using a specialized nebulizer. Foliar nebulization was chosen for its precision and minimal resource use, aligning with the sustainability goals of aquaponic cultivation. The research evaluated rosette diameter, root length, fresh weight, soluble solids concentration, levels of photosynthetic pigments, and phenolic and flavonoid content. The 250 ppm treatment produced the most notable enhancements in both biomass yield and quality, highlighting the potential of precision fertilizers to boost sustainability and efficiency in aquaponic systems. In fact, the most significant increases involved biomass production, particularly in the edible portions, along with photosynthetic pigment levels. Additionally, the analysis of secondary metabolite content, such as phenols and flavonoids, revealed no reduction compared to the control group, meaning that the proposed fertilizer did not negatively impact the biosynthetic pathways of these bioactive compounds. This study opens new possibilities in aquaponics cultivation, highlighting the potential of precision fertilizers to enhance sustainability and productivity in soilless agriculture.

The possibility of modifying the surface chemistry of materials and synthetizing inorganic particles in natural aqueous extracts of plants (avoiding calcination), opens the doors to undoubtedly interesting scenarios for innovative functionalization strategies that are increasingly eco-sustainable and rich in interesting chemical–physical and biochemical properties. Among the aerial plants, Satureja montana exhibits interesting antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities due to the rich volatile and non-volatile compounds (characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry), contained in the aqueous extracts. For the first time, the latter was applied for the green synthesis of TiO₂ and CaCO₃ particles, characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman, infrared spectroscopies, and scanning electron microscopy, coupled with microanalysis. Screening through antimicrobial assays under indoor passive sedimentation conditions showed opposite trends for two kinds of particles. TiO₂ anatase spherical particles (400 < φ < 600 nm) increase microbial growth, proportionally to increasing particle concentration. Instead, S. montana-functionalized CaCO₃ prismatic microparticles (1 µm × 1 µm × 1 µm) exhibit strong and dose-dependent antimicrobial activities, achieving near-complete inhibition at 50 mg/mL.

A project to assess air pollution at the National Archeological Museum in Naples was carried out. The main goal of the project was to develop and test a reliable, yet simple, monitoring system to be adopted at the same time in several exposition rooms. Nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen chloride, nitrous acid, and sulphur dioxide were the chemical species addressed by the technique. Monitoring was simultaneously performed in five rooms and pollutant concentrations were determined using two passive samplers. The sampling time was approximately one month per period. In addition to passive samplers, environmental data loggers were used to obtain temperature and relative humidity data. Results show high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide inside rooms, consistent with those found in outdoor environments and are close to the values calculated considering the air exchange rates, estimated through time gradients of ambient temperature. The minimum values were recorded in a basement room, having a low ventilation rate. The conversion of nitrogen dioxide to real surfaces produces nitric acid and nitrous acid. Large amounts of nitrous acid were found in exposition rooms up to 15 µg/m3, with maximum values in the basement room, where the air exchange rate is limited and the surface-to-volume ratio is the highest among the monitored rooms. Data analysis demonstrate that the system could discriminate between nitrous acid and nitrogen dioxide. The results show that, for the first time, passive samplers can overcome the problem of mutual interference between nitrogen-containing species. It was found that the nitrates and nitrites found in the alkaline passive sampler is not due to the interference of nitrogen dioxide. Nitric acid was also found in the gas phase, likely generated by dissociation of ammonium nitrate in particulate matter. Hydrogen chloride and sulphur dioxide are present at few µg/m3. Nitrous acid is the most relevant acidic species found indoors. The presence of pollutants was discussed in terms of the reliability of the analytical procedure and its significance for indoor air pollution.

In this work, an archeological adhesive collected at Cantagrilli (near Florence) was chemically analyzed by applying gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry combined with the archeobotanical investigations. Data identify triterpenes, aged anhydride, benzoyl resin, and gelatinized starch in the sample. The multi-analytical approach allowed us to identify some molecular compounds, as well as their state of chemical decomposition (especially by applying the mass spectrometry techniques). On the other hand, archeobotanical measurements have provided useful but not unequivocal information regarding the possible origin of triterpenes from some terrestrial plants, combined with the presence of microorganisms and transformed chemicals (such as starch modified into gelatin). All this information is very useful to Prehistoric Archeologists for understanding the cultural processes and technologies used by ancient populations.

A project to assess air pollution at the National Archeological Museum in Naples was carried out. The main goal of the project was to develop and test a reliable yet simple monitoring system to be adopted at the same time in several exposition rooms. Nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen chloride, nitrous acid, and sulphur dioxide were the chemical species addressed by the technique. Monitoring was simultaneously performed in five rooms, and pollutant concentrations were determined using two passive samplers. The sampling time was approximately one month per period. In addition to passive samplers, environmental data loggers were used to obtain temperature and relative humidity data. Results show high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide inside rooms, which were consistent with those found in outdoor environments and are close to the values calculated considering the air exchange rates, estimated through time gradients of ambient temperature. The minimum values were recorded in a basement room that had a low ventilation rate. The conversion of nitrogen dioxide to real surfaces produces nitric acid and nitrous acid. Large amounts of nitrous acid, up to 15 µg/m³, were found in exposition rooms, with maximum values in the basement room, where the air exchange rate is limited, and the surface-to-volume ratio is the highest among the monitored rooms. Data analysis demonstrated that the system could discriminate between nitrous acid and nitrogen dioxide. The results show that, for the first time, passive samplers can overcome the problem of mutual interference between nitrogen-containing species. Nitrates and nitrites found in the alkaline passive sampler were generally found not to be interfered by nitrogen dioxide. Nitric acid was also found in the gas phase, likely generated by dissociation of ammonium nitrate in particulate matter. Hydrogen chloride and sulphur dioxide were present at few µg/m³. Nitrous acid is the most relevant acidic species found indoors. The presence of pollutants was discussed in terms of the reliability of the analytical procedure and its significance for indoor air pollution.