University Of Lecce Research Articles

Accommodation and Language Contact.

The paper introduces the Special Issue on Language Contact and Speaker Accommodation, which originates from the conference Phonetics and Phonology in Europe (PaPE) held at the University of Lecce, Italy, in 2019. It discusses the topics of language contact and speaker accommodation, summarizing the contributions included in the Special Issue, and arguing explicitly in favour of a unitary view of how both temporary and stable changes happen in (part of) the linguistic systems. Accommodation is seen as the same gradual and non-homogeneous process at play in different contact settings. In the introductory sections, a discussion is offered on various situations in which linguistic systems are in contact and on the main factors that may be at play; the following sections offer an overview of the papers included in the Special Issue, which focus on accommodation in L2 and heritage speakers as well as on the time dimension of dialect or language societal contact. Finally, accommodation is discussed as the same process that is at work in any interaction, that may modify temporarily or long-term the system of L2 learners and bilinguals (e.g., immigrants), that usually affects in the long-term the heritage speakers' system, and that only in the long term can lead to language changes involving entire communities.

ESI-MS studies of the reactions of novel platinum(II) complexes containing O,O'-chelated acetylacetonate and sulfur ligands with selected model proteins.

A group of mixed-ligand Pt(II) complexes bearing acetylacetonate and sulphur ligands were recently developed in the University of Lecce as a new class of prospective anticancer agents that manifested promising pharma-cological properties in preliminary in vitro and in vivo tests. Though modelled on the basis of cisplatin, these Pt(II) complexes turned out to exhibit a profoundly distinct mode of action as they were found to act mainly on non-genomic targets rather than on DNA. Accordingly, we have explored here their reactions with two representative model proteins through an established ESI-MS procedure with the aim to describe their general interaction mechanism with protein targets. A pronounced reactivity with the tested proteins was indeed documented; the nature of the resulting metallodrug-protein interactions could be characterised in depth in the various cases. Preferential binding to protein targets compared to DNA is supported by independent ICP-OES measurements. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Erratum to “Bioremedation and phytoremedation: Synergism in lead extraction from contamined soils” [J. Biotechnol. 150S (2010) S509–S510

Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, University of Florence, Italy Department of Fruit Science and Plant Protection of Woody Species “G. Scaramuzzi”, University of Pisa, Italy Department of Crop Plant Biology, University of Pisa, Italy Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Lecce, Italy Agronomic Institute for Overseas (IAO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Florence, Italy

ChemInform Abstract: Aziridinyl Anions: Generation, Reactivity, and Use in Modern Synthetic Chemistry

AbstractReview: 178 refs.

GPR, ERT and magnetic investigations inside the Martyrium of St Philip, Hierapolis, Turkey

AbstractHierapolis, Denizli, Turkey, was one of the most important Hellenistic‐Roman cities in Asia Minor. Located about 250 km east of Izmir, the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its magnificent archaeological remains and the white travertine pool formations created by its peculiar geothermal setting. The Italian Archaeological Mission in more than 50 years of activity in Hierapolis has brought to light and restored important vestiges of the ancient city, helping to understand the urban layout in the various epochs of its development. In 2001–2003 geophysical surveys were performed by the University of Lecce in several areas inside the archaeological site of Hierapolis to support the archaeological excavations. This paper reports the results of the integrated geophysical surveys performed in 2003 inside the Martyrium of Saint Philip, a mausoleum built on the place where it is believed that the Apostle was martyred. Ground‐penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and magnetic gradient investigations were carried out in the central octagonal room, whereas the accessible lateral rooms were surveyed with GPR and occasionally ERT. The acquisition was performed along a series of closely spaced lines and the processed data were visualized as two‐dimensional vertical sections (GPR), map view (magnetic gradiometry), depth slices or three‐dimensional volumes (GPR and ERT) to allow an integrated interpretation of the geophysical results. The analysis of the geophysical datasets revealed a series of anomalies in both the central and lateral rooms that could be ascribed to the building foundations and to other possible archaeological structures, probably related to earlier stages of the sacred building and to tombs, as well as other anomalies (voids, fractures) of presumable natural origin. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Iris revoluta Colas., natural hybrid origin species: characterization and preservation problems

In order to preserve ex situ rare or vulnerable species, it is necessary to characterise their reproductive mechanisms, and to locate the origin of the interference with their development in their natural habitat. Iris revoluta Colas. is a very rare endemic species of the Salento peninsula (Italy), showing scarce sexual reproduction, but good vegetative propagation through rhizomes, as many other Iris species of natural hybrid origin. For many years this Iris has been cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the Di.S.Te.B.A., University of Lecce, where a detailed study has been initiated to investigate the phenomena that may limit its sexual reproduction.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

Regional Development in the Knowledge Economy Philip Cooke & Andrea Piccaluga Chapter 1: Introduction: Regional Asymmetries, Knowledge Categories & Innovation Intermediation. Philip Cooke (Cardiff University) Chapter 2: Localised Knowledge Spillovers: The key to innovativeness in industrial clusters? Marjolein Caniels (OU, Netherlands) & Henry Romijn (TU, Eindhoven) Chapter 3: Knowledge-Intensive Industries and Regional Development: the Case of the Software Industry in Norway Arne Isaksen (STEP Group, Oslo) Chapter 4:The impact of geography on the innovative productivity of software firm in the Netherlands Anet Weterings and Ron Boschma (University of Utrecht) Chapter 5: Constructing Regional Innovation Systems through a Triple Helix: Lessons and Inspiration from the Northern Hemisphere Bjorn Asheim & Lars Coenen (University of Lund) Chapter 6: Sourcing of market knowledge in biotechnology. Maija Renko (University of Turku) Chapter 7: Knowledge access at distance: strategies and practices of new biotechnology firms in emerging locations. Margarida Fontes (INETI / DMS, Lisbon) Chapter 8: LINKING LESS-FAVOURED FINNISH REGIONS TO THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY THROUGH UNIVERSITY FILIAL CENTRES. Kati-Jasmin Kosonen (University of Tampere) Chapter 9: Economic growth in emerging knowledge intensive areas: the high-tech cluster in Pisa. Alberto Di Minin, Michela Lazzeroni, Andrea Piccaluga (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa) Chapter 10: An emerging ICT cluster in a marginal region: the Sardinian experience Luca Ferrucci and Daniele Porcheddu (University of Perugia, University of Sassari) Chapter 11: Cooperation networks and regional development: case of multisectoral partnership for innovation. Jorge de Carvalho ALVES, Irina Adriana SAUR, Maria Jose MARQUES (University of Aveiro) Chapter 12: The new knowledge regions: from simple to complex innovation theory. Lars Qvortrup (University of South Denmark, Odense) Chapter 13: Conclusions. Variety and miracles for successful regional innovation policies: from "copy and paste" to "copy and paste special". Andrea Piccaluga (University of Lecce & Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa)

Imperfect speakers: Macbeth and the name of king

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsDavid LuckingDavid Lucking is Professor at the University of Lecce, Italy.

Agricultural robot for radicchio harvesting

AbstractIn the last few years, robotics has been increasingly adopted in agriculture to improve productivity and efficiency. This paper presents recent and current work at the Politecnico of Bari, in collaboration with the University of Lecce, in the field of agriculture robotics. A cost effective robotic arm is introduced for the harvesting of radicchio, which employs visual localization of the plants in the field. The proposed harvester is composed of a double four‐bar linkage manipulator and a special gripper, which fulfills the requirement for a plant cut approximately 10 mm underground. Both manipulator and end‐effector are pneumatically actuated, and the gripper works with flexible pneumatic muscles. The system employs computer vision to localize the plants in the field based on intelligent color filtering and morphological operations; we call this algorithm the radicchio visual localization (RVL). Details are provided for the functional and executive design of the robotic arm and its control system. Experimental results are discussed; obtained with a prototype operating in a laboratory testbed showing the feasibility of the system in localizing and harvesting radicchio plants. The performance of the RVL is analyzed in terms of accuracy, robustness to noises, and variations in lighting, and is also validated in field experiments. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An integrated accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating and ion beam analysis approach for the study of archaeological contexts

The integration in the accelerator-based facility at CEDAD (Centro di Datazione e Diagnostica), University of Lecce, of a state-of-the art AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) 14C dating system, and three different beam lines for IBA (ion beam analysis) compositional investigations, has given the possibility of developing an integrated IBA-AMS approach to the study of a wide range of archaeological problems. Here we present three cases where in air IBA methods were involved for the elemental characterisation of objects found in archaeological contexts, chronologically defined on the basis of high resolution AMS14C measurements.

Visual and Tactile-Based Terrain Analysis Using a Cylindrical Mobile Robot

Ground autonomous mobile robots have important applications, such as reconnaissance, patrol, planetary exploration, and military applications. In order to accomplish tasks on rough terrain, control and planning methods must consider the physical characteristics of the vehicle and of its environment. Failure to understand these characteristics could lead to vehicle endangement and consequent mission failure. This paper describes recent and current work at the Politecnico of Bari in collaboration with the University of Lecce in the area of deformable terrain mobility and sensing. A cylindrical mobile robot is presented and its rolling motion on terrain is studied from a theoretical and experimental prospect. A comprehensive model is developed taking into account the interaction of the vehicle with the terrain and the related dynamic ill effects, such as rolling resistance and slip, and it is experimentally validated. An unconventional application of the vehicle serving as a tactile sensor is discussed and experimental results are presented showing the effectiveness of the cylindrical mobile robot in estimating the properties of homogeneous, deformable terrain, which in turn can be used to assess the vehicle traversability.

Instrumental developments at the IBA-AMS dating facility at the University of Lecce

The accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating facility at the University of Lecce, Italy is now fully operational and in the first year of operation more than 500 samples both organic and inorganic have been measured for applications in archaeology, history of art, geology and environmental sciences. The experimental capabilities of the facility have been recently significantly improved by the installation of an in vacuum and in air ion beam analysis (IBA) beam line. Investigations are routinely carried out in material science and cultural heritage diagnostics.

A New Climate Research Center in Italy

The news item about the Italian Climate Research Center that will be located at the University of Lecce in Bologna (“Italy hosts a climate research center,” ScienceScope, 24 Dec. 2004, p. [2171][1]) unfortunately does not tell the whole story. The center was established without significant input from the Italian climate research community. A call for proposals was issued in 2001, and two groups responded. The review process that awarded the center to Lecce was never explained. The Ministry of the Environment simply made an informal announcement that the appropriation would go to the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology, which will coordinate the center. At the moment, nothing is known about the center's programs, whether it will open to the larger climate research community, or how these programs will be funded. The initial program presented by the director suggests that the Center will be limited to oceanographers and marine ecosystem researchers in the Bologna area. Italy has allowed its National Climate Research Program to languish, and unless significant changes are made in the scope and mission of the Climate Research Center, it will be useless. First, it seems designed to produce a climate model that closely resembles those already developed elsewhere, reminiscent of Wittgenstein's philosophy that it is better to buy several copies of the same newspaper to be nearest the truth. Second, without the involvement of the larger climate academic community, the program will have no impact on higher education in the rest of the country. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.306.5705.2171c

A Web Service-based Grid Portal for Edgebreaker Compression

In health applications, and elsewhere, 3D data sets are increasingly accessed through the Internet. To reduce the transfer time while maintaining an unaltered 3D model, adequate compression and decompression techniques are needed. Recently, Grid technologies have been integrated with Web Services technologies to provide a framework for interoperable application-to-application interaction. The paper describes an implementation of the Edgebreaker compression technique exploiting web services technology and presents a novel approach for using such services in a Grid Portal. The Grid portal, developed at the CACT/ISUFI of the University of Lecce, allows the processing and delivery of biomedical images (CT--computerized tomography--and MRI--magnetic resonance images) in a distributed environment, using the power and security of computational Grids. The Edgebreaker Compression Web Service has been deployed on a Grid portal and allows compressing and decompressing 3D data sets using the Globus toolkit GSI (Globus Security Infrastructure) protocol. Moreover, the classical algorithm has been modified extending the compression to files containing more than one object. An implementation of the Edgebreaker compression technique and related experimental results are presented. A novel approach for using the compression web service in a Grid portal allowing storing and preprocessing of huge 3D data sets, and subsequent efficient transmission of results for remote visualization is also described.

Italy Hosts a Climate Research Center

TRIESTE, ITALY — Italy will host a new Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change Study (CMCC) to operate from the National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) in Bologna, with headquarters and a dedicated supercomputer at the University of Lecce. Officials made the announcement

High-resolution accelerator-based mass spectrometry: precision, accuracy and background

Radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a high-sensitivity analysis technique which is nowadays widely used in many research fields such as archaeology, geology, environmental and earth sciences. We report on the features of the new high throughput accelerator mass spectrometer at the University of Lecce, Italy. The experimental apparatus is described and its general characteristics are reported in terms of measurement precision, accuracy and achievable background.

High-resolution radiocarbon dating of prehistoric sites in southern Italy

A new facility for accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating has been put in operation at the University of Lecce in southern Italy. The general features of the facility are described, showing how by the use of electrostatic and magnetic analyzers the radiocarbon content in several kinds of sample materials can be measured. The performances of the system are also given in terms of precision, accuracy and background. The results of the radiocarbon dating of two prehistoric sites are also reported.

A new accelerator mass spectrometry facility in Lecce, Italy

A new facility for 14C-AMS dating and for studies on cultural heritage by ion beam analysis has been put in operation at the University of Lecce, Lecce, Italy. The system is based on a 3 MV TandetronTM accelerator, manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa (HVEE). In the 14C-AMS system the three carbon isotopes are injected sequentially in the accelerator with cycle frequencies of up to 1 kHz. Performance tests have shown that the beams can be transported without any loss through the system. The 13C/12C precision of the system is 0.04% and no significant drift in the measured ratios is present.

A new accelerator mass spectrometry facility in Lecce, Italy

A new facility for 14C-AMS dating and for studies on cultural heritage by ion beam analysis has been put in operation at the University of Lecce, Lecce, Italy. The system is based on a 3 MV TandetronTM accelerator, manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa (HVEE). In the 14C-AMS system the three carbon isotopes are injected sequentially in the accelerator with cycle frequencies of up to 1 kHz. Performance tests have shown that the beams can be transported without any loss through the system. The 13C/12C precision of the system is 0.04% and no significant drift in the measured ratios is present.

Radiocarbon precision tests at the Lecce AMS facility using a sequential injection system

The installation of a new AMS radiocarbon dating facility at the University of Lecce (Italy) has been completed by performing precision measurements using oxalic acid II standards. The measurements have shown that a precision of 0.37% in the 14C/ 12C ratio and a machine background of 60 ka can be obtained with the new AMS facility manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V. by using the fast bouncing technique for the ion injection.