Petrography and Geochemistry of the Leucocratic Rocks in the Ophiolites from the Pollino Massif (Southern Italy)

In the Tethyan realm, leucocratic rocks were recognized as dikes and layers outcropping in the ophiolitic rocks of the Western Alps, in Corsica, and in the Northern Apennines. Several authors have suggested that the origin of leucocratic rocks is associated with partial melting of cumulate gabbro. Major and trace elements composition and paragenesis provided information about the leucocratic rocks genetic processes. This research aims at disclosing, for the first time, the petrographical and geochemical features of Timpa delle Murge leucocratic rocks, Pollino Massif (southern Italy), in order to discuss their origin and geodynamic significance through a comparison with other Tethyan leucocratic rocks. These rocks are characterized by high amounts of silica with moderate alumina and iron-magnesium contents showing higher potassium contents than plagiogranites, due to plagioclase alteration to sericite. Plagioclase fractionation reflects negative Eu anomalies indicating its derivation from gabbroic crystal mushes. The chondrite normalized REEs patterns suggest the participation of partial melts derived from a metasomatized mantle in a subduction environment. The results reveal some similarities in composition with other Tethyan leucocratic rocks, especially those concerning Corsica and the Northern Alps. These new data provide further clues on the origin of these leucocratic rocks and the Tethyan area geodynamic evolutio

cardanol based green nanovesicles with antioxidant and cytotoxic activities

ABSTRACTThis manuscript describes the preparation of green nanovesicles by using cardanol as renewable starting material with embedded minor amounts of phthalazines, a class of heterocyclic bioactive compounds. The nanovesicles were prepared by stirring induced self-assembly in aqueous medium without involvement of any organic solvent. Dynamic light scattering studies and transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of nanostructure with an average diameter in the range of 227–375 nm and a well defined spherical morphology. Potential antioxidant activity of nanovesicles were evaluated for the first time by 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging assay and bleomycin-dependent DNA damage. Moreover, their cytotoxic effects were also investigated by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay on different tumour cell lines. Unloaded nanovesicles showed moderate antioxidant and antitumoural activity that was further enhanced particularl..

Search for lightly ionizing particles with the MACRO detector

A search for lightly ionizing particles has been performed with the MACRO detector. This search was sensitive to particles with charges between 1/5e and close to the charge of an electron, with beta between approximately 0.25 acid 1.0. Unlike previous searches both single track events and tracks buried within high multiplicity muon showers were examined. In a period of approximately one year no candidates were observed. Assuming an isotropic flux, for the single track sample this corresponds to a 90%, C.L. upper flux limit Phi less than or equal to 9.2 x 10(-15) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1)

La ricerca premia sempre : il Pollino Archaeological Landscape Project (PALP) 2022

This is a report on the 2022 campaign of the Pollino Landscape Archaeological Project featuring the various activities of the Pollino Archaeological Landscape Project in the Pollino mountain range in Calabria ranging from investigations of prehistoric stratigraphy to interviews with shepherds on past and present transhumance practices. It is written for a wide audience

Anglesite, Cerussite, Gypsum, Langite, Malachite, and Posnjakite: New Occurrences in the Calabria Region (Southern Italy)

This study undertook the mineralogical and chemical analysis of anglesite (PbSO4), cerussite (PbCO3), gypsum (CaSO4∙2H2O), langite (Cu4(SO4)(OH)6∙2H2O), malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2), and posnjakite (Cu4(SO4)(OH)6·H2O) detected for the first time in the abandoned Mastricarro Barite Mine (Catanzaro, Calabria, southern Italy). Geological conditions make this one of the few well-preserved, partly accessible mines in the Calabria region. Numerous mineralogical species, some beautifully crystallized, have been discovered among the alteration products of the sulfides present within the barite veins. The newly identified crystals occur as secondary minerals in the oxidized portions of deposits originally containing lead and copper sulfides; they are widely distributed and are almost always detected as microcrystals. The anglesite, cerussite, gypsum, langite, malachite, and posnjakite crystals were identified and characterized using optical microscopy (OM), micro-Raman spectroscopy (µR), and scanning electron microscopy, combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS). The new mineral occurrences can be useful for scientific and didactic purposes; further, for langite, malachite, and posnjakite crystals, new Raman bands, which have not been mentioned before in the literature, were identified

Research always presses:The Pollino Archaeological Landscape Project (PALP) 2022

This is a report on the 2022 campaign of the Pollino Landscape Archaeological Project featuring the various activities of the Pollino Archaeological Landscape Project in the Pollino mountain range in Calabria ranging from investigations of prehistoric stratigraphy to interviews with shepherds on past and present transhumance practices. It is written for a wide audience