Simona Raneri

Simona Raneri
Italian National Research Council | CNR · Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds ICCOM

Ph.D. in Earth Science
Researcher at Italian National Research Council

About

122
Publications
35,830
Reads
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1,157
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Introduction
Conservator Scientist for Cultural Heritage and Geologist; she has got her Ph.D. in Earth Science cum laude at the Dept. of Bio., Geo. and Env. Science of the University of Catania in 2016. Currently, she is researcher at the CNR in Pisa. Research topics: Archeometry (ceramics, plasters and mortars, pigments, wall paintings, gems and jewelry); Natural Building Stones (porosity, fractal geometry, non destructive and non invasive methods), Nanotechnologies for Cultural Heritages.
Additional affiliations
November 2019 - present
Italian National Research Council
Position
  • Researcher
November 2016 - November 2019
University of Pisa
Position
  • Researcher
January 2013 - October 2015
University of Catania
Position
  • PhD Student

Publications

Publications (122)
Article
Full-text available
Enrico Van Lint (Pisa, 1808–1884) was a very prolific photographer, active in Pisa in the 19th century where he had a prominent photographic atelier. He was a meticulous experimenter, investigating the evolving photographic activity of his historical period. While his early works included calotypes using Fox Talbot’s methods, he rapidly adopted the...
Book
Il volume raccoglie 34 saggi che spaziano da ricerche di ampio respiro a tematiche scientifiche attuali per rendere omaggio a Lucia Travaini, studiosa dal profilo originale e poliedrico che gode di fama internazionale nel campo della numismatica e della storia monetaria. Gli studi, suddivisi in sette sezioni tematiche, affrontano questioni di class...
Chapter
Il volume raccoglie 34 saggi che spaziano da ricerche di ampio respiro a tematiche scientifiche attuali per rendere omaggio a Lucia Travaini, studiosa dal profilo originale e poliedrico che gode di fama internazionale nel campo della numismatica e della storia monetaria. Gli studi, suddivisi in sette sezioni tematiche, affrontano questioni di class...
Article
Full-text available
An ultraportable hyperspectral camera operating in the Vis–NIR range (400–1000 nm) was used in this study for the non-invasive analysis of a selection of Italian maiolica wares and sherds from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, Italy. The studied objects included authentic archaeological sherds, nineteenth-century forgeries, and ceramics...
Article
Full-text available
The recent upgrading of synchrotron radiation (SR) sources has favored, in the last few years, the construction and design of beamlines optimized for the study of cultural heritage materials, which may require ad hoc setups, specific spatial resolutions, and detection limits. In the field of cultural heritage, integrated approaches combining differ...
Article
Full-text available
A methodological approach based on rare earth elements analysis was developed to observe human activities in the stratigraphic sequence of Alagankulam. The site was one of the main ancient ports in south-eastern India and one of the transoceanic connecting points between East and West during the Classical Period. The sampled sediments where collect...
Article
Thanks to their high chemical and mechanical stability, their diffusion in all types of detrital sediments and their complex structural formula (XY 3 Z 6 (T 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 V 3 W), tourmalines have attracted strong interest in provenance studies since, from their chemical composition, it is possible to reconstruct the source rocks in ancient sedi...
Article
Full-text available
The article aims to show how a transdisciplinary approach can contribute to a better understanding of the composite biography of a precious object. The study focuses on the Cintola del Duomo (Museum of the Opera del Duomo, Pisa), one of the most famous objects in the history of goldsmithing, both for its exceptional manufacturing quality and for it...
Article
Full-text available
The characterisation of lime mortars is a relevant task for the conservation of ancient buildings and the correct design of repair materials; among the relevant properties to be studied, the pore structures stand out, which are influenced by the manufacturing processes, receipts and technical expedients and are related to the strength and durabilit...
Article
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The objectives of this paper will be to discuss the issues related to the determination of the limits of detection (LOD) in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analytical applications. The derivation of the commonly used ‘3-sigma over slope’ rule and its evolution towards the new official definition recently adopted by the International Uni...
Article
Full-text available
The church of San Francesco del Prato in Parma (Italy) is a masterpiece of the Gothic style, dated back to the 13th century. However, its historical and monumental value could not be appreciated for a long time, especially due to the transformation of the building into a city jail. The recent restoration works brought back to light valuable frescos...
Article
This opening paper introduces the contributions of this special issue on mineral fibres and reports a gallery of the major results accomplished within the multidisciplinary project PRIN (PROGETTI DI RICERCA DI RILEVANTE INTERESSE NAZIONALE) 2017 "FIBRES: a multidisciplinary mineralogical, crystal-chemical and biological project to amend the paradig...
Article
Full-text available
Several samples coming from the recently discovered (February 2019) Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age Chovdar necropolis in Azerbaijan were analysed using the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique. The analysis allowed a preliminary classification of the samples in eight groups based on their composition, obtained from the XRF spectra using the fundament...
Article
This paper discusses the use of a small ultraportable hyperspectral camera in the VIS-NIR (Visible-Near Infrared) range for archaeological fieldwork and its hardware, data processing workflows, and spectral information that can be used for in situ screening. Hyperspectral imaging is a widespread, non-destructive analytical technique used in various...
Chapter
Laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) spectra are characterized by a redundancy of information that makes the use of multivariate methods for building calibration surfaces particularly suited. In the previous chapter, the case of linear calibration surfaces in all the coordinates considered was discussed. However, many effects in LIBS may pro...
Chapter
The most used method for determining the concentration of an analyte is based on a univariate model where the measured signal intensity is linearly proportional to said concentration. The signal measured on the samples is compared with the one obtained from suitable standards of known composition to build a calibration curve. Laser‐induced breakdow...
Article
Chrysotile, one of the six regulated asbestos minerals, is classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The Balangero mine (Turin, Italy) was the largest asbestos mine in Europe, providing extraction of chrysotile fibres until 1990. Chrysotile from Balangero is currently of great interest in fibres toxici...
Article
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) micro-mapping is an important analytical tool for the study of geomaterials. In this work, this technique was applied, for the first time, to the analysis of alkali-activated materials and geopolymers, as well as rocks, mortars and bricks. The results obtained were compared with the ones obtained using En...
Article
Full-text available
This paper aims to investigate the application of cathodoluminescence (CL) imagery (with optical microscopy) and CL spectroscopy (with Scanning Electron Microscope) in ancient ceramics studies, for a proper classification of petro-fabrics and mineral inclusions based on their CL response. Digital image analysis (DIA) routines are proposed for both...
Article
This paper reports on the preliminary results of the ongoing research on Medieval and Renaissance ceramic corpus from a cistern placed under the Incontri-Viti Palace in Volterra, Italy. The potteries found in the cistern are dated between 14th and 16th centuries; this period is marked by the transition between the late Middle-Ages and the Renaissan...
Article
The introduction of Deep Learning algorithms for feature identification in digital imaging has paved the way for Artificial Intelligence applications that up to a decade ago were considered technologically impossible to achieve, from the development of driverless vehicles to the fully automated diagnostics of cancer and other diseases from histolog...
Article
Full-text available
Alveolar macrophages are the first line of defence against detrimental inhaled stimuli. To date, no comparative data have been obtained on the inflammatory response induced by different carcinogenic mineral fibres in the three main macrophage phenotypes: M0 (non-activated), M1 (pro-inflammatory) and M2 (alternatively activated). To gain new insight...
Article
Today, cancer is one of the main health issues faced in the workplace, with asbestos an important carcinogen in the occupational environment. Among the asbestos minerals, chrysotile is the main species of socio-economic and industrial relevance. Although chrysotile asbestos is classified as a “carcinogenic substance” by the International Agency for...
Article
Full-text available
Synchrotron X-ray µ- and nano-probes are increasingly affirming their relevance in cultural heritage applications, especially in material characterization of tiny and complex micro-samples which are typical from archaeological and artistic artifacts. For such purposes, synchrotron radiation facilities are tailoring and optimizing beamlines and set-...
Article
Mobile Raman and XRF systems are particularly suitable for the study of cultural heritage objects, allowing in situ, nondestructive analysis on a large variety of materials. Nowadays, thanks to technological developments, the size of the new generation of mobile instruments is reduced. Moreover, operation of the instrumentation is straightforward,...
Article
Full-text available
Archaic Roman painted antefixes, architectural slabs and louteria from the Palatine Hill in Rome were studied by non‐destructive and micro‐destructive methods (portable XRF, micro‐Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, SEM‐EDS and XRD). The investigation enabled characterizing raw materials and ceramic technology, providing insights on provenance;...
Article
Recent restoration work on Pisa Cathedral provided the opportunity for a multidisciplinary analysis of the monument that identified interesting aspects of its history, preservation, and structural safety. In particular, the study of the matroneum provided clues about the role of the structures in the well-known fire that occurred in 1595. Alteratio...
Article
The knowledge of the spectroscopic parameters of the elemental emission lines is important for diagnostics of laser-induced plasmas and the application of calibration-free/fundamental parameters analytical methods. In this paper, we used the recently proposed Time-Independent Extended C-Sigma (TIECS) method for determining, for the first time, the...
Article
Full-text available
he ubiquitous diffusion of modern smartphones has brought, as a collateral effect, the ready availability of relatively good imaging systems that can be used in any circumstance, and in particular in field research, exploiting the intrinsic portability of the smartphone. Although the quality of the images acquired with a smartphone cannot be compar...
Article
This research aims to study the influence of organic additive and aggregate grain size in lime mortar hardening for producing compatible, high-performance and eco-friendly materials for conservation and restoration of heritage structures. Mortar mix with lime to sand ratio of 1:3 by mass and water to binder ratio of 0.75 was considered. Ficus Caric...
Article
The development of sustainable building materials is essential in view of meting worldwide requirements of the green and sustainable economy; this aspect is crucial in cement concrete, in which commercial demand is increasing day by day. Superior quality concretes can be produced by using natural additives, such as biopolymers, being them harmfully...
Conference Paper
This micro review presents a series of possible applications of neutron imaging in stone conservation and is supported by a collection of data obtained during experiments performed at IMAGINE beamline, located at the Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, at the Orphée Reactor in Saclay, France, with a special focus on water transport and retention. Herefore,...
Article
Full-text available
Lightning strikes are prevalent and inevitable natural phenomena that might cause damages during interaction with building structures and, in some cases, culminate in fires. During the last decades, several lightning strikes have caused considerable damages to cultural and heritage buildings. Furthermore, recent studies indicated a plausible connec...
Article
Full-text available
Abstract During the Classical Period (300 BC–400 AD), the Indian Ocean emerged as one of the largest hubs of ancient international trade. For a long period, these contacts were described from a Rome-centric point of view, looking at the connections between Rome and India. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the Roman-Indo connection was...
Article
In the last decade, numerous papers have been delivered on the potential of portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) in archaeological ceramics. Additionally, new chemometric methods have been proposed to manage chemical dataset and facilitate the use of geochemical discrimination for provenance classification of ancient ceramics. In this contribute, the...
Article
Among precious stones used in antiquity, bigi morati stand out for their importance. They consist in black limestones mainly employed in sculptures and architectural heritages and quarried from several sites through the Mediterranean area. Their provenance is difficult to assess due to their similar appearance to the naked‐eye observation and the p...
Article
Full-text available
In this review, we report and critically discuss the application of LIBS for the determination of plasma-emission fundamental parameters, such as transition probabilities, oscillator strengths, Stark broadening and shifts, of the emission lines in the spectrum. The knowledge of these parameters is of paramount importance for plasma diagnostics or f...
Article
The study of manufacture technologies and provenance of raw materials in archaeological potteries are two fundamental aspects in providing information about sociocultural aspects on past societies. The most acknowledged technique in this field is represented by minero‐petrographic analysis, allowing to describe the compositional features of the art...
Article
Many of the current analytical application of LIBS are based on the build of a ‘simple’ univariate and linear calibration curve, where the signal is plotted as a function of the concentration of the analyte in the calibration standards. Recently, it has been proposed to consider also in LIBS, as was done in other spectroanalytical techniques, the u...
Article
Full-text available
In this article, we present a study on the optimization of the analytical performance of a commercial hand-held laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument for steel analysis. We show how the performances of the instrument can be substantially improved using a non-linear calibration approach based on a set of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs),...
Article
Full-text available
Abstract This research is part of a wider scientific Italian-Indo project finalised to shed lights on pottery fabrication and trade circulation in Tamil Nadu region during Early Historical Period. The recent archaeological excavations carried out in Alagankulam—a famous harbour trading with the eastern and western world—and in Keeladi—the most anci...
Article
Well-designed archaeometric studies can provide pertinent information on ancient ceramic production technologies and allow better understanding of their manufacturing methods. In this regard, fine and glazed ceramics constitute a particularly interesting class of archeological artefacts, with increasing scientific interest for their production and...
Preprint
Full-text available
This research is part of a wider scientific Italian-Indo project aiming to shed lights on pottery fabrication and trade circulation in the South India (Tamil Nadu region) during Early Historical Period. The recent archaeological excavations carried out in Alagankulam, a famous harbour trading with the eastern and western world, and Keeladi, the mos...
Article
In this paper we introduce a new time-independent Extended C-sigma approach for the analysis of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) spectra and apply it to the determination of the Stark broadening coefficient of several neutral and ionic emission lines of tantalum. The method proposed is based on the recently introduced Extended C-sigma pr...
Article
This paper focusses on the archaeometric investigation of wall paintings of the St. Maria Veterana archaeological site in Triggiano (Bari, Southern Italy) finalised to support the hypothesis on the historical reconstruction of the site based on iconographic interpretations. The site is an original and relevant example of medieval art in Apulia and...
Article
Full-text available
So far unexplored, the introduction and the spread of the Roman thermal buildings in the prima provincia (Sicily) are widely debated in the current archeological studies. Mainly due to the lack of systematic excavations and intensively technological studies, the assessment of thermae in the Hellenistic-Roman Sicily has been thus far interpreted as...
Article
The transition from the Late Bronze Age (LBA) to the Iron Age (IA) in the Levant is marked by the collapse of the Egyptian and Hittite empires, which dominated the political scene of the 14th–13th century BCE. The role of the Sea People, groups of migrants who were defeated by the Egyptian king Ramses III around 1175 BCE, is the focal point concern...
Article
The physical properties of silicate melts are of critical importance for understanding magmatic and volcanic processes on Earth and other planets. Most physical properties of melts are, ultimately, a consequence of the structural organization of the melt. Robust and fully generalizable strategies for the prediction of properties of naturally occurr...
Article
In 2016, a huge amount of archaeological materials, mainly painted architectural slabs, were taken back in Italy from the Carlsberg Glyptotek of Copenhagen and from the collection of a Swiss art dealer after an investigation of Italian authorities on the illegal antiquities trade. According to style and typology, part of these materials are suppose...
Article
An innovative set-up of synchrotron radiation soft X-ray Fluorescence was applied at the TwinMic beamline (Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste) to test the potential of the method in investigating the interaction between protectives and consolidants with sandstone substrates. To this purpose, products developed in the framework of the EU-funded Nano-Cathed...
Article
Full-text available
A nano-silica consolidant and nano-titania modified tetraethyl-orthosilicate were applied on two building stones, a carbonate and a silicate, by brush, poultice or capillary absorption. Neutron radiography was used to monitor capillary water absorption, and to analyse changes in physical properties caused by heat treatment of specimens for the purp...
Article
For the first time, an archaeometric study was carried out on the carbonate rock ashlars of the Sagunto Castle. The studied site is one of the most important and best preserved Spanish archaeological and architectural monuments, characterized by different construction phases from the Roman period to Modern Ages. Forty samples collected from thirtee...
Article
An artificial neural network (ANN) for archaeometric studies was created to facilitate provenance attribution of archaeological ceramics. A multilayer perceptron model (MLP) was applied to construct the network, including only one hidden layer. Moreover, correction parameters based on historical and archaeological evidences were applied to Bayesian...
Article
This paper is aimed to illustrate and discuss new data from the clayey deposits collected in the Dunarobba area (Umbria, central Italy), and to better understand some features of the “Fosso Bianco” Unit lacustrine stage inside the South Tiberino Basin, during its latest (presumably Early Pleistocene) phases. Data come from a newly cultivated quarry...
Article
Full-text available
Protective coatings, in recent years also from nanocomposite formulations, are commonly applied onto architectural stone and stone artefacts, mainly to prevent absorption of condensed water and dissolved atmospheric pollutants into the porous stone structure. While standard protocols to assess a coating’s performance are available, understanding th...
Preprint
Full-text available
Protective coatings, in recent years also from nanocomposite formulations, are commonly applied onto architectural stone and stone artefacts, mainly to prevent absorption into the porous stone structure of condensed water and dissolved atmospheric pollutants. While standard protocols are available to assess a coating’s performance, understanding th...
Article
Full-text available
The evaluation of conservative treatments’ efficacy on natural building stones are usually based on standard recommendation routines finalized to evaluate compatibility and harmfulness of products in turn of the substrate. However, the visualization and the quantification of products inside pore structure of natural stones is not immediate through...
Article
The surface texture of a stone represents a sensitive parameter in evaluating its conservation state. In monuments and sculptures, in fact, external agents continuously alter the appearance of stones, determining peculiar weathering patterns and modifying properties such as retention of water and particles, interaction with light, color, and finish...
Article
The efficiency of a hybrid patented consolidant (PAASi) and two commercially available hybrid coatings (a consolidant named AlSiX and a hydrophobic product named WS3) properly modified was assessed on a calcarenite substrate. Test routines based on standard recommendations were first applied to evaluate the performances of the consolidant and prote...
Article
Full-text available
In the framework of the archeological investigations of an outstanding Roman Villas in Tuscany (Villa dell‟Oratorio, in the territory of Capraia e Limite, Florence), archaeometric studies have been perfomed with the aim to characterize building and decorative materials and retrace construction phases and manufacture technology. The Villas, built in...
Article
In this study, we report the results of a micro-destructive analysis of stone materials used for the realization of the Mont'e Prama statues, important limestone sculptures dated to the Early Iron Age (Late Nuragic period: 9th–8th cent. BC) from central-western Sardinia. Although numerous historical, archaeological and geological studies have been...
Article
Abstract The development of post-medieval archaeology has been uneven in the Mediterranean. While major advances have been made in areas, such as the Aegean and Italy, others have garnered little sustained archaeological interest. In Malta, one of the principal barriers to the development of post-medieval archaeology has been the lack of knowledge...
Article
The study intends to support the archaeological questions about the technological choices related to the manufacturing of an important class of archaic artefacts—the fictile roof revetments of the temples—in the Greek colonies of Sicily, unveiling the possible relations among raw materials, decorative and firing techniques and functionality of the...
Preprint
published final version of a preprint previously made available by the journal "Nanomaterials" with the title "Electrokinetic Characterization of Nanocomposites Applied on Natural Stones by Streaming Current Measurements"
Article
In this work, a fast method for obtaining a quantitative elemental mapping of highly inhomogeneous samples by µ-LIBS maps is proposed. The method, transportable and cheap, allows the analysis of large maps through the use of a Self-Organizing Map clustering method coupled to Calibration-Free LIBS for quantification of cluster prototypes. The method...
Article
The present work is focused on the study of forty-two mortars used in the construction of both Roman buildings, old Pisa’s Cathedral and Modern structures in the Miracles Square (Italy). This area, included since 1987 in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO, is famous for the presence of an important historical complex built in the Middle Ages (th...