PHOTOCATALYTIC REACTIONS FOR ENERGY CONVERSION

General upward trends in fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, along with the accepted belief that global chemistry substantially influences climate, require that scientific research provides efficient remedies and/or alternatives to the present scenario. Photocatalysis is often proposed as one of the most promising technique to achieve these purposes. This PhD thesis is mainly focused on the investigation of TiO2-based systems for the photocatalytic oxidation of formic acid in aqueous suspension, as well as for H2 production by methanol photo steam reforming in the gas phase. Two different approaches were adopted to minimize the drawbacks usually characterizing TiO2 photocatalysts: i) TiO2-WO3 mixed oxide photocatalysts were prepared with the aim of reducing the recombination rate of photopromoted electron/hole pairs. The superior photocatalytic performance of the mixed oxide system was mainly attributed to the positive effect induced by W in efficiently trapping the photopromoted electron from the conduction band of TiO2, ensuring extended charge carriers separation. Even better results were obtained upon the surface modification with Pt nanoparticles which, by virtue of the metal high work function, further enhanced e-/h+ separation. ii) surface modification of TiO2 with Au nanoparticles, possessing a Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) at \u3bb = 530 nm was proved to be an efficient way to promote TiO2 photoactivity under visible light irradiation. By selecting three titania samples (i.e., a stoichiometric, nearly non defective TiO2, a N-doped TiO2 and a oxygen vacancy-rich TiO2), evidence of two different plasmonic photoactivity mechanisms was provided, with the so-called hot electron transfer promoting plasmonic photoactivity in the stoichiometric TiO2 and Plasmon Resonance Energy Transfer accounting for the observed plasmonic visible light photoactivity of doped samples. Being the abatement of CO2 through (photo)electrochemical reduction very challenging (E0(CO2/CO2-* = -2.14 V)), an alternative way has been studied: pyridinyl radicals (1-PyH*), photogenerated by irradiating a pyridine (Py) solution, were found to efficiently react with CO2 yielding a carbamic species (HPy-1-COOH), triggered by a stepwise mechanism where electron transfer from 1-PyH* precedes proton transfer. Formate (HCOO-) was also obtained, demonstrating that photoexcited pyridine does catalyze the 2e\u2014reduction of CO2. Finally, Fenton oxidation of gaseous isoprene on the surface of aqueous Fe2+ droplets, yielding carboxylic acids, polyols and carbonyl compounds, detected in situ through ElectroSpray Ionization Mass Spectrometry, accounted for alternative routes for the conversion of organic gases into secondary organic aerosol, occurring under tropospheric conditions, and may be incorporated into present atmospheric chemistry models

Fenton Oxidation of Gaseous Isoprene on Aqueous Surfaces

We report that gaseous isoprene ISO(g) is oxidized into soluble species on the surface of aqueous acidic FeCl_2 solutions simultaneously exposed to H_2O_2(g). In our experiments, ISO(g) and/or H_2O_2(g) streams intersect aqueous pH 2 FeCl_2 microjets for 10 μs. The products formed in these reactive encounters are identified in situ via online electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. We found that the (ISO)nH^+ oligomers generated from ISO(g) on the surface of pH < 4 water are oxidized into myriad products whose combined yields exceed 5%. MS^2 analysis reveals that the positive ions derived from the protonation of neutral products split H_2O and O neutrals, whereas the less abundant negative carboxylate ion products undergo CO, H_2O, and CO_2 losses. Significantly, all products are fully quenched by ·OH scavenger tert-butyl alcohol. These results are consistent with an oxidation process initiated by the addition of ·OH from (Fe^(2+)(aq) + H_2O_2(g)) to (ISO)nH^+, followed by fast reactions involving dissolved H_2O_2, HO_2·, and O_2 that lead to polyols; carbonyls; and, to a lesser extent, carboxylic acids. Our experiments demonstrate that gas-phase olefins are oxidized upon colliding on the surface of Fe-containing acidic aqueous media under typical tropospheric conditions

How do turbidite systems behave from the hydrogeological point of view? New insights and open questions coming from an interdisciplinary work in southern Italy

Turbidite successions can behave either as aquitards or aquifers depending on their lithological and hydraulic features. In particular, post-depositional processes can increase rock permeability due to fracture development in the competent layers. Thus, at a local scale, turbidite systems warrant further detailed investigations, aimed at reconstructing reliable hydrogeological models. The objective of this work was to investigate from the hydrogeological perspective a turbiditic aquifer located in southern Italy, where several perennial and seasonal springs were detected. Considering the complex hydrodynamics of these systems at the catchment scale, to reach an optimal characterization, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted. The conceptual framework employed microbial communities as groundwater tracers, together with the physicochemical features and isotopic signature of springs and streams from water samples. Meanwhile, geophysical investigations coupled with the geological survey provided the contextualization of the hydrogeological data into the detailed geological reconstruction of the study area. This modus operandi allowed us to typify several differences among the samples, allowing identification of sources and paths of surface water and groundwater, along with diffuse groundwater outflow along streams. As a final result, a hydrogeological conceptual model was reconstructed, underlining how at a very local scale the lithologic, hydraulic, and geomorphological heterogeneity of the studied relief can lead to an improved hydrogeological conceptual model compared to that of other turbidite systems. These results open new questions about the hydrogeological behavior of turbiditic aquifers, which could be pivotal in future research. In fact, these systems could support relevant ecosystems and anthropic activities, especially where climate change will force the research of new (and probably less hydrogeologically efficient) water sources

The Arabidopsis thaliana MYB60 promoter provides a tool for the spatio-temporal control of gene expression in stomatal guard cells

Plants have evolved different strategies to resist drought, of which the best understood is the abscisic acid (ABA)-induced closure of stomatal pores to reduce water loss by transpiration. The availability of useful promoters that allow for precise spatial and temporal control of gene expression in stomata is essential both for investigating stomatal regulation in model systems and for biotechnological applications in field crops. Previous work indicated that the regulatory region of the transcription factor AtMYB60 specifically drives gene expression in guard cells of Arabidopsis, although its activity is rapidly down-regulated by ABA. Here, the activity of the full-length and minimal AtMYB60 promoters is reported in rice (Oryza sativa), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), using a reporter gene approach. In rice, the activity of both promoters was completely abolished, whereas it was spatially restricted to guard cells in tobacco and tomato. To overcome the negative effect of ABA on the AtMYB60 promoter, a chimeric inducible system was developed, which combined the cellular specificity of the AtMYB60 minimal promoter with the positive responsiveness to dehydration and ABA of the rd29A promoter. Remarkably, the synthetic module specifically up-regulated gene expression in guard cells of Arabidopsis, tobacco, and tomato in response to dehydration or ABA. The comparative analysis of different native and synthetic regulatory modules derived from the AtMYB60 promoter offers new insights into the functional conservation of the cis-mechanisms that mediate gene expression in guard cells in distantly related dicotyledonous species and provides novel tools for modulating stomatal activity in plants.Fabio Rusconi, Fabio Simeoni, Priscilla Francia, Eleonora Cominelli, Lucio Conti, Matteo Riboni, Laura Simoni, Cathie R. Martin, Chiara Tonelli, and Massimo Galbiat

Climate change-related changes in cephalopod biodiversity on the North East Atlantic Shelf

Global studies imply that cephalopods have benefited from climate change. However, in most areas, species-specific long-term cephalopod data sets do not exist to support this implication and to analyse the response of cephalopods to environmental changes. Our results illustrate that historical studies, in combination with recent data sets, can fill this gap, enabling descriptions of ecological changes over a long time. We show substantial changes in the cephalopod biodiversity of the North Sea at species level over the past 100 years. Some species, which seemed to migrate into the North Sea only for spawning or foraging in the nineteenth century, occur permanently in the North Sea nowadays. This applies, for example, to the loliginids Loligo forbesii and Alloteuthis subulata. The ommastrephids Todaropsis eblanae and Illex coindetii, now constantly present as well, had been described only as accidental migrants 100 years ago

Influence of TiO2 electronic structure and strong metal-support interaction on plasmonic Au photocatalytic oxidations

Aiming at understanding how plasmonic reactions depend on important parameters such as metal loading and strong metal-support interaction (SMSI), we report the plasmonic photodegradation of formic acid (FA) under green LED irradiation employing three TiO2 supports (stoichiometric TiO2, N-doped TiO2, black TiO2) modified with Au nanoparticles (NPs) 3-6 nm in size. The rate of FA photo-oxidation follows different trends depending on Au loading for stoichiometric and doped Au/TiO2 materials. In the first case, the only contribution of hot electron transfer produces a volcano-shaped curve of photoreaction rates with increasing the Au loading. When TiO2 contains intra-bandgap states the photoactivity increases linearly with the Au NPs amount, thanks to the concomitant enhancement produced by hot electron transfer and plasmonic resonant energy transfer (PRET). The role of PRET is supported by Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulations, which show that the increase of both Au NPs inter-distance and of SMSI enhances the probability of charge carrier generation at the Au/TiO2 interface

Angiogenesis in human brain tumors : screening of drug response through a patient-specific cell platform for personalized therapy

Gliomas are the most common brain tumors, with diverse biological behaviour. Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive and with the worst prognosis, is characterized by an intense and aberrant angiogenesis, which distinguishes it from low-grade gliomas (LGGs) and benign expansive lesions, as meningiomas (MNGs). With increasing evidence for the importance of vascularization in tumor biology, we focused on the isolation and characterization of endothelial cells (ECs) from primary GBMs, LGGs and MNGs. Gene expression analysis by Real-Time PCR, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analysis, tube-like structures formation and vascular permeability assays were performed. Our results showed a higher efficiency of ECs to form a complex vascular architecture, as well as a greater impairment of a brain blood barrier model, and an overexpression of pro-angiogenic mediators in GBM than in LGG and MNG. Furthermore, administration of temozolomide, bevacizumab, and sunitinib triggered a different proliferative, apoptotic and angiogenic response, in a dose and time-dependent manner. An increased resistance to temozolomide was observed in T98G cells co-cultured in GBM-EC conditioned media. Therefore, we developed a novel platform to reproduce tumor vascularization as "disease in a dish", which allows us to perform screening of sensitivity/resistance to drugs, in order to optimize targeted approaches to GBM therapy

Prevalence, Outcome, and Prevention of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in Neonates Born to Women With Preconception Immunity (CHILd Study)

Background. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious cause of congenital disabilities. We designed a prospective study to investigate the rate, outcome, and risk factors of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection in neonates born to immune women, and the potential need and effectiveness of hygiene recommendations in this population.Methods. The study was composed of 2 sequential parts: an epidemiology (part 1) and a prevention (part 2) study. Performance of part 2 depended upon a cCMV rate >0.4%. Women enrolled in part 1 did not receive hygiene recommendations. Newborns were screened by HCMV DNA testing in saliva and cCMV was confirmed by urine testing.Results. Saliva swabs were positive for HCMV DNA in 45/9661 newborns and cCMV was confirmed in 18 cases. The rate of cCMV was .19% (95% confidence interval [CI]: .11-.29%), and 3 out of 18 infants with cCMV had symptoms of CMV at birth. Age, nationality, occupation, and contact with children were similar between mothers of infected and noninfected newborns. Twin pregnancy (odds ratio [OR]: 7.2; 95% CI: 1.7-32.2; P=.037) and maternal medical conditions (OR: 3.9; 95% CI: 1.5-10.1; P= .003) appeared associated with cCMV. Given the rate of cCMV was lower than expected, the prevention part of the study was cancelled.Conclusions. Newborns from women with preconception immunity have a low rate of cCMV, which appears to be mostly due to reactivation of the latent virus. Therefore, serological screening in childbearing age would be pivotal to identify HCMV-seropositive women, whose newborns have a low risk of cCMV