Il Museo Geofisico di Rocca di Papa: tra divulgazione e ricerca scientifica

The Geophysical Museum of Rocca di Papa is located in an historical, three floor building, of the small town Rocca di Papa, twentyfive kilometres from Rome. The edifice was, until 1931, the place of the Geodynamic Observatory, created in 1889 by the famous seismologist Michele Stefano De Rossi. The museum is due to an agreement between the Town Council of Rocca di Papa and the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica (INGV, one of the most important European Research Institutions operating in geophysics) signed in 2000. After bureaucratic passages and two years of important restoration the museum was open to the public at 26th February 2005. The main aim of the Geophysical Museum is to illustrate how experimental data and information, accumulated by science in the course of time, led to new hypotheses on the internal structure of the Earth. The target of the educational and of the scientific disciplines of the Museum is mainly school students of all ages, but also local residents, and tourists: since its opening, approximately two years ago, the Museum has been visited by more than eight-thousand people. Posters, movie presentations, plastics, games and interactive experiments explain to visitors the main topics of geophysics and the stages of scientific research which led to the modern concept of the Earth internal model. Seismic instruments and games are easily accessible so that the visitor can interact with them: experimental data are recorded in real time and displayed through different monitors placed throughout the rooms. The museum has also a small cinema for three dimensional projections which allow visitors to experience a virtual tour on the Alban Hills, the seismic zone where the museum is located, and also on some other Italian tectonic belts where earthquakes occurred in past. The article introduces the museum and the seismological characteristics of the area, and describes the activities, the exhibits of the Museum and their methodology

Mass spectrometric evidence for collisionally induced removal of H2 from monoanions of 10B nido-carborane derivatives investigated by electrospray ionization quadrupole linear ion trap and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Some newly synthesized 10B nido-carborane derivatives, i.e., 7,8-dicarba-nido-undecaborane monoanions ([7-Me-8-R-C2B9H10]-K+, R = H, butyl, hexyl, octyl and decyl), have been fully characterised and examined by electrospray ionization and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry with liquid chromatographic separation (LC/ESI-FTICR-MS). These boron-containing compounds exhibit abundant molecular ions ([M]−) at m/z 140.22631 [CB9H14]−, m/z 196.28883 [CB9H22]−, m/z 224.32032 [CB9H26]−, m/z 252.35133 [CB9H30]− and m/z 280.38354 [CB9H34]− at the normal tube lens voltage setting of −90 V, which was an instrumental parameter value selected in the tuning operation. Additional [M–nH2]− (n = 1−4) ions were observed in the mass spectra when higher tube lens voltages were applied, i.e., −140 V. High-resolution FTICR-MS data revealed the accurate masses of fragment ions, bearing either an even or an odd number of electrons. Collision-induced dissociation of the [M–nH2]− ions (n = 0–4) in the quadrupole linear ion trap (LTQ) analyzer confirmed the loss of hydrogen molecules from the molecular ions. It is suggested that the loss of H2 molecules from the alkyl chain is a consequence of the stabilization effect of the nido-carborane charged polyhedral skeleton

Bioaerosol emissions during organic waste treatment for biopolymer production: A case study

Environmentally sustainable methods of waste disposal are a strategic priority. For organic waste management and innovative biological treatments present advantageous opportunities, although organic waste treatment also includes environmental drawbacks, such as bioaerosol pro-duction. This study aims to evaluate bioaerosol spread during an innovative experimental treatment. The process consists of two anaerobic steps: acidogenesis, which includes polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation, followed by methanogenesis. Bioaerosol, PM10, and endotoxin concentrations were measured at three sampling points during different campaigns to evaluate: (1) the background levels, (2) the contamination produced in the pre-treatment stage, and (3) the residual contamination of the outgoing digested sludge. Environmental PM10 seemed to be generally quite contained, while the endotoxin determination was close to 90 EU/m3. Significant microbial concentrations were detected during the loading of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (fungi > 1300 CFU/m3, Bacillus genus (≈103 CFU/m3), higher Clostridium spp. and opportunistic human pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae), suggesting a significant contamination level. Such results are useful for hazard identification in the risk assessment of innovative processes, as they reveal contaminants potentially harmful to both workers’ health and the environment

MedNet status report

MedNet is a network of very broadband seismic stations installed in countries bordering the Mediterranean area. The project started in 1987, with a final goal of 12-15 stations and a spacing of about 1000 km between stations. It was motivated both by research interest and by seismic hazard monitoring. The network presently comprises 23 operating stations, all of them equipped with state of the art seismographic stations. Presently, fully automatic network functions include: - daily monitoring of state of health; - data recover after link failures; - triggered retrieval of event waveforms; - update of web pages (http://mednet.ingv.it) for events and station information.PublishedS. Fernando (SPAIN)1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionaleope

Structural variations of vaginal and endometrial microbiota. Hints on female infertility

Microbiota are microorganismal communities colonizing human tissues exposed to the external environment, including the urogenital tract. The bacterial composition of the vaginal microbiota has been established and is partially related to obstetric outcome, while the uterine microbiota, considered to be a sterile environment for years, is now the focus of more extensive studies and debates. The characterization of the microbiota contained in the reproductive tract (RT) of asymptomatic and infertile women, could define a specific RT microbiota associated with implantation failure. In this pilot study, 34 women undergoing personalized hormonal stimulation were recruited and the biological samples of each patient, vaginal fluid, and endometrial biopsy, were collected immediately prior to oocyte-pick up, and sequenced. Women were subsequently divided into groups according to fertilization outcome. Analysis of the 16s rRNA V4-V5 region revealed a significant difference between vaginal and endometrial microbiota. The vaginal microbiota of pregnant women corroborated previous data, exhibiting a lactobacilli-dominant habitat compared to non-pregnant cases, while the endometrial bacterial colonization was characterized by a polymicrobial ecosystem in which lactobacilli were exclusively detected in the group that displayed unsuccessful in vitro fertilization. Overall, these preliminary results revisit our knowledge of the genitourinary microbiota, and highlight a putative relationship between vaginal/endometrial microbiota and reproductive success

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists suppress interleukin-6 expression by bone marrow stromal cells: an immunotoxicology study

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow stromal cells produce cytokines required for the normal growth and development of all eight hematopoietic cell lineages. Aberrant cytokine production by stromal cells contributes to blood cell dyscrasias. Consequently, factors that alter stromal cell cytokine production may significantly compromise the development of normal blood cells. We have shown that environmental chemicals, such as aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, suppress B lymphopoiesis by modulating bone marrow stromal cell function. Here, we extend these studies to evaluate the potential for two prototypic AhR agonists, 7,12-dimethylbenz [a]anthracene (DMBA) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), to alter stromal cell cytokine responses. METHODS: Bone marrow stromal cells were treated with AhR agonists and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic innate inflammatory cytokine responses and to study the effects of AhR ligands on those responses. Steady state cytokine RNA levels were screened by RNAse protection assays (RPA) and quantified by real-time PCR. Cytokine (IL-6) protein production was measured by ELISA. NF-κB EMSAs were used to study IL-6 transcriptional regulation. RESULTS: RPAs indicated that AhR(+ )bone marrow stromal cells consistently up-regulated genes encoding IL-6 and LIF in response to LPS, presumably through activation of Toll-like receptor 4. Pre-treatment with low doses of DMBA or TCDD selectively abrogated IL-6 gene induction but had no effect on LIF mRNA. Real-time-PCR indicated a significant inhibition of IL-6 mRNA by AhR ligands within 1 hour of LPS challenge which was reflected in a profound down-regulation of IL-6 protein induction, with DMBA and TCDD suppressing IL-6 levels as much as 65% and 88%, respectively. This potent inhibitory effect persisted for at least 72 hours. EMSAs measuring NF-κB binding to IL-6 promoter sequences, an event known to induce IL-6 transcription, indicated a significant decrease in the LPS-mediated induction of DNA-binding RelA/p50 and c-Rel/p50 heterodimers in the presence of DMBA. CONCLUSIONS: Common environmental AhR agonists can suppress the response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, a model for innate inflammatory responses, through down-regulation of IL-6, a cytokine critical to the growth of several hematopoietic cell subsets, including early B cells. This suppression occurs at least at the level of IL-6 gene transcription and may be regulated by NF-κB

Synthesis of Porphyrazines Bearing Thioalkylthiol Tethers: Useful Building Blocks for Supramolecular Chemistry

A simple and substantially inexpensive method is proposed for the synthesis of a porphyrazine macrocycle symmetrically functionalized with eight bromoalkylthio pendants and its conversion in the S-acetyl protected thiol-hexylthio-substituted analog

Carboranyl porphyrazines: synthetic aspects and molecular properties

Among the challenges precluding the widespread use of BNCT has been the difficulty in achieving selective delivery of large quantities of boron to malignant cells. In an attempt to address this issue we have recently developed an effective strategy to synthesize a new family of boronate dporphyrazines to be delivered through the membrane of cancerous tissues as such or with th help of liposomes. Herein we describe the synthesis and the basic physico-chemical properties of neutral octa-closo-carboranyl-alkylthio-porphyrazines as well as of their water -soluble counterparts obtained by mild boronation of the closo-polyhedra. Preliminary studies indicate that these compounds show negligible cell toxicity and, compared with BPA, good cellular uptake. This encourages further studies for their evaluation as potential BNCT sensitizers

Neutral and Polyanionic Carboranylporphyrazines: Synthesis and Physico-chemical Properties

Among the challenges precluding the widespread use of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has been the difficulty in achieving selective delivery of large quantities of boron to malignant cells. In an attempt to address this issue we have recently developed an effective strategy to synthesize a new family of boronated porphyrazines to be delivered through the membrane of cancerous tissues as such or with the help of liposomes. Herein we describe the synthesis and the basic physico-chemical properties of neutral octa-closo-carboranyl-alkylthio-porphyrazines as well as of their water-soluble counterparts obtained by mild deboronation of the closo-polyedra. Preliminary studies indicate that these compounds show negligible cell toxicity and, compared with BPA, good cellular uptake. This encourages further studies for their evaluation as potential BNCT agents