Bruno Bisceglia

Innovative Systems for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Millimeter Wave Application for Non-invasive Monitoring and Treatment of Works of Art

Abstract A novel non invasive technique and a suitable apparatus for disinfestation of artworks is introduced. Non destructive and non invasive techniques are often irreplaceable in order to preserve and restore cultural heritage objects in its structure and shape. Although many techniques are available for art and archaeological works the non invasive methods are preferred as they leave the object untouched after treatment. Environmental parameters, such as humidity, can damage culture heritage objects and also results in spring up variety of pests and other micro-organisms. Non-invasive monitoring of these damage and also disinfestation treatments and drying with help of electromagnetic waves are preferred as they keep the object untouched after treatment. Application of millimeter waves for solving this problem is discussed here. Millimeter waves have high spatial resolution and absorption in water as well as in bio-objects that are usually moist and at the same time minimal interaction with dry culture heritage objects by itself. Different phases of the microwaves treatment (MW) of artworks are described, some results are shown and discussed. Many biological forms don’t survive over a certain temperature, called lethal temperature which, for most xylophages is about 53–55 °C, while for moulds and funguses is between 65 and 70 °C. In order to evaluate the management of disinfestation of works of art, incident power, temperature, exposure time were monitored. The monitoring of temperature is essential in order to prevent damages. A computer simulation allows to predict and monitor the heating process.

Induction of alkaline phosphatase activity by exposure of human cell lines to a low‐frequency electric field from apparatuses used in clinical therapies

Low-frequency (LF) electric fields (EFs) are currently used in clinical therapies of several bone diseases to increase bone regenerative processes. To identify possible molecular mechanisms involved in these processes, we evaluated the effects on cell cultures of 1 h exposures to the signal generated by an apparatus of current clinical use (frequency 60 kHz, frequency of the modulating signal 12.5 Hz, 50% duty cycle, peak-to-peak voltage 24.5 V). Two different human cell lines, bone SaOS-2 and liver HepG2, were used. Exposures significantly increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymatic activity in both cell lines. The increase was about 35% in SaOS-2 cells and about 80% in HepG2 cells and occurred in the first 4 h after exposure and decreased to almost no change by 24 h. Since ALP represents a typical marker of bone regeneration, these results represent a first molecular evidence of biological effects from 60 kHz EF exposures. The finding of similar effects in cells derived from two different tissues more likely indicates the effective operation of the mechanism in living organisms.

EMF application to soil disinfestation and agro-food processing for a sustainable development

Preservation technologies like pasteurization or sterilization are used to inactivate microorganisms, and therefore enhance food safety and shelf life. Using advanced heating technologies based on microwave and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields can play a great role in improving sustainability of food processing. Electromagnetic fields can also be used in soil disinfestation as an alternative, non polluting method instead of conventional methods based on fumigation. This technology ensures effective soil disinfestation without polluting the groundwater. On the other hand, low power MW fields can also be used in facilitate germination and growth rate of seeds ensuring more abundant crops in poor areas.

An innovative microwave system for wooden art object disinfestation

Purpose – Many objects made up of wood, as well as paper and carpets with artistic or cultural value, are seriously damaged by various infesting microorganisms and often such damage is irreversible. The purpose of this paper is to describe an equipment which has been realized, able to induce, inside the object to be treated, having any shape, and in particular in the infesting agents, a uniform distribution of temperature.Design/methodology/approach – The equipment consists of a metallic shielding chamber where the objects to be disinfested are placed. Here, through appropriate openings in the walls, electromagnetic energy at the frequency of the microwaves is introduced. The electromagnetic waves provoke a heating effect in the infesting biological forms with no significant thermal effects in the materials of the artistic object due to the different dielectric characteristics and to the very little percentages of water in them.Findings – The uniform distribution of temperature guarantees that the organis...

Microwaves disinfection of farmland

Abstract This work focuses on the heat transfer dynamics in agricultural soils when exposed to microwave fields, in order to disinfect them and to eliminate dangerous organisms without using pesticides. The work manages with the use of a horn antenna to irradiate the superficial layer of soils and so to eliminate harmful bio-agents within a fixed depth. The soil was approximated using a transmission line model. Considering the dielectric constant of the ground as a function of the soil water content, it was possible to evaluate the power absorbed by the irradiated ground and the temperature increase and its profile depending on the irradiation time. Since the latter information is strictly connected to the heat transfer process occurring in the system, we demonstrated the feasibility of the methodology here proposed to achieve difficult conditions for microbial and pathogens life, leading to an effective disinfection of the treated farmland.

MW Pallets Disinfestatiqns

Wood packaging represents a pathway for the introduction and spread ofpests. In March 2002, the Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O.) issued regulations describing globally approved phytosanitary measures that significantly reduce the risk provoked by most pests. The main purpose of this work is to describe the disinfesting system of pallets through microwave treatment.

Effect of low frequency (LF) electric fields on gene expression of a bone human cell line

Abstract We evaluated the effects, on cultured human SaOS-2 cells, of exposures to the low frequency (LF) electric signal (60 kHz sinusoidal wave, 24.5 V peak-to-peak voltage, amplitude modulated by a 12.5 Hz square wave, 50% duty cycle) from an apparatus of current clinical use in bone diseases requiring regenerating processes. Cells in flasks were exposed to a capacitively coupled electric field giving electric current density in the sample of 4 µA/cm2. The whole expressed cellular mRNAs were systematically analyzed by “DNA microchips” technology to identify all individual species quantitatively affected by field exposure. Comparisons were made between RNA samples from exposed and control sham-exposed cells. Results indicated that immediately and 4 h after exposure there were almost no differentially modulated mRNA species. However, samples obtained at 24 h after exposure showed a small number of limitedly differential signals (7 down-regulated and 3 up-regulated with a cut-off value of ±1.5; 38 and 11, respectively, with a cut-off value of ±1.3), which included mostly mRNA encoding transcription factors and DNA binding proteins. Nevertheless, in identical experimental conditions, we previously demonstrated enzymatic changes of alkaline phosphatase occurring immediately after exposure and declining in a few hours. Therefore, since enzymatic changes occur before those observed at gene regulation level, it is conceivable that only earlier effects are directly due the treatment and then these effects are later able to affect gene expression only indirectly.

Accurate modeling of the microwave treatment in reverberating chamber. sanitation of agro food material

The microwave heating is useful for drying of foodstuff, disinfestation of works of art, phitosanitary treatment and disinfection of packaging according to current international guidelines. The computer simulation allows predicting and monitoring the heating process. The microwave treatment can nevertheless present some problems such as the presence of highly heated areas (hot spots) or areas with poor radiation due to particular shapes. Simulation of complex systems has evolved into a research discovery tool: such models and simulations, drawing upon the dramatic scale up of computational power and associated architectures and algorithmic innovation, can address complex systems with many degrees of freedom and with multiple length and time scales of interest. Using specific programs, the distribution of heating power in objects to be treated, even if complex shapes, can be predicted so as to be able to define the possibility, the time necessary to the processing, the power to be transmitted in the chamber and any repair or protection to cover the most sensitive areas. It can also predict the behavior of irradiation in the presence of other entities such as nails or pests. In order to perform simulation, important data are the geometry of the object or objects in the case of multiple loading and their dielectric characteristics. As a result we obtain the distribution of heating power.

Numeric simulation of a therapeutic processing: Electrostimulation of bone rebuilding

– A complete analysis for illustrating the various factors responsible for electrical stimulation can provide insight about some interaction effects relationship. The paper aims to evaluate the electric field and current density distributions inside the various tissues of two simplified models of arm and spine, when a external electric signal is applied using external electrodes in contact with the skin., – Electrical stimulation is a widely used clinical method in which fracture non‐unions are treated with low‐level electric fields and currents in order to stimulate fracture repair. The physical methods for bone growth stimulation discussed in this paper is referred to technique with capacitively coupled electric fields (CCEF) at the fracture site., – A series of experiments demonstrated that bone is piezoelectric, electro stimulation is often used to promote and expedite healing. The results of numeric simulation improve the understanding of healing mechanism and bone rebuilding., – Electric and magnetic fields can influence biological functions. The algorithm should be useful in calculating the response of biological materials subject to excitation including modelling and electrical stimulation.

RF energy and environment protection. Disinfestations of ancient walls

Archaeological heritage objects are influenced by the environmental parameters, which can modify their structure and composition. In many cases interventions are urgent in order to stop or slow-down the degradation process. The aim of this work is to illustrate a non invasive technique of disinfesting works of art. The suitable devices and the different phases of the project are briefly described and discussed below. The main purpose of the project is the protection of the historic and artistic heritage employing the best technologies. The noninvasive technique allows to intervene on the walls with no alterations of the existing state of preservation