Selective photooxidation of ortho-substituted benzyl alcohols and the catalytic role of ortho-methoxybenzaldehyde

It has been recently reported by Palmisano et al. (2015) [1] that the oxidation of 2-methoxybenzyl alcohol (2-MBA) to 2-methoxybenzaldehyde (2-MBAD) proceeds in water under near-UV light with an unexpected catalytic effect of 2-MBAD. In order to investigate the catalytic role of aldehyde in photolytic oxidation of ortho-substituted benzyl alcohols (OSBAs), reactivity runs were carried out with 2-methylbenzyl alcohol (2-MeBA), 2-nitrobenzyl alcohol (2-NBA), 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (2-HBA) and 2-chlorobenzyl alcohol (2-ClBA) in the absence and in the presence of their corresponding aldehyde. None of those alcohols showed a measurable oxidation rate even in the presence of their aldehydes but 2-NBA was oxidised very fast, although no corresponding carbonyl product was obtained. The possible catalytic role of 2-MBAD was investigated for the photolytic oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (4-MBA), 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol (4-NBA), 2-ClBA, 2-HBA, 2-MeBA and ferulic acid (FA). The results showed that 2-MBAD acts as a catalyst only for 4-MBA, 2-HBA and FA. The photocatalytic oxidation of OSBAs in the presence of powdered TiO2 has been also carried out in order to investigate the mutual influences, if any, between homogeneous and heterogeneous processes. The reactivity runs were carried out with TiO2 photocatalyst in water and under near-UV irradiation; a home-prepared (HP) TiO2 sample was used along with Degussa P25. HP catalyst showed the best performance: the 2-MBA half-life time was 5 times smaller and the selectivity to aldehyde 13 times higher than in the presence of Degussa P25

Volcanomagnetic Evidence of the Magmatic Intrusion on 13th May 2008

During the onset of 2008 volcanic crisis at Mt Etna, the near-real time magnetic data provided a continuous updating of the volcano activity state on the northern flank. On the morning of 13th May 2008, significant local magnetic field changes marked the resumption of the eruptive activity characterized by the opening of a fracture field on the northern flank, and an eruptive fissure in the Valle del Bove. In agreement with the northward propagation of seismic events, magnetic signals at 5 stations in the summit area revealed a nearly NNW-SSE oriented magmatic intrusion, which started at about 9:00 GMT, propagated northward for about 2 km, and stopped at 14:00 GMT before reaching the North-East Rift. Magnetic variations, with amplitude ranging between 1.8 nT and -6.5 nT, are consistent with those calculated from piezomagnetic models, where stress-induced changes in rock magnetization are produced by the magmatic intrusion

Vectorial magnetometers for noise reduction in volcanomagnetic monitoring at Mt Etna

The volcanomagnetic monitoring is critically dependent on the ability to detect and isolate magnetic variations related to volcanic activity. Accurate detection of volcanomagnetic anomalies attributable to the volcano’s dynamics requires removing from measurements of the earth’s magnetic field, fluctuations of external origin which may be up to hundreds of nanotesla during geomagnetic storms. The commonly used method of taking simple differences of the total intensity with respect to the simultaneous value at a remote reference is partially successful. Variations in the difference fields arise principally from contrasting electromagnetic properties at magnetometer sites. To improve the noise reduction of geomagnetic data from magnetic network of Mt Etna we developed an adaptive filtering. Magnetic vector data are included as input to the filter, to account for the orientation of the disturbance field. The filter is able to estimate and rectify the model parameters continuously by means of new observations, so that predictions match the observed data. The error of state estimation has been decreased and the filtering accuracy improved. Experimental data collected on Mt Etna during 2010 are analyzed to relate the field variation at a given station to the field at other sites filtering out undesired noise and enhancing signal-to-noise ratio

Space-time gravity variations to look deep into the southern flank of Etna volcano

A microgravity 14-year-long data set (October 1994 - September 2007) recorded along a 24-kilometer East-West trending profile of 19 stations was analyzed to detect underground mass redistributions related to the volcanic activity involving the southern flank of Mt Etna volcano (Italy). A multiresolution wavelet analysis was applied to separate the volcano-related signal from the unwanted components due to mainly instrumental, human-made and seasonal effects. The residual space-time image evidenced two complete gravity increase/decrease cycles mainly affecting the central and eastern stations of the profile. The first gravity increase (early-1995 to end-1996) – decrease (end-1996 to late-1998) cycle reached a maximum amplitude of approximately 90 µGal. The second gravity increase (mid-1999 to mid-2000) – decrease (mid-2000 to early-2004) cycle attained an amplitude of about 80 µGal peak-to-peak. After about five years of a persistent negative gravity anomaly, a new semi-cycle started at the end of 2006 and continued during the last survey carried out in September 2007. We modeled the 1994-2007 gravity anomalies using a Quadratic Programming algorithm to infer the position and the evolution of the sources beneath the profile. The computed positive mass variations of about 1.05 x 1011 kg were interpreted as magma accumulation, while negative mass changes of about -1.20 x 1011 kg could reflect either magma migration or opening of new voids by tectonic tensile stresses within a source volume, where tensional earthquakes occurred

UFGM - 2006 Annual Report

INGV, SEZIONE DI CATANIAPublished2.6. TTC - Laboratorio di gravimetria, magnetismo ed elettromagnetismo in aree attiveope

Dry eye in systemic sclerosis patients: Novel methods to monitor disease activity

Background: In systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, dry eye syndrome (DES) is the most frequent ocular feature. The aim of this study was to investigate ocular DES-related SSc patients and to establish any correlation with the severity of the disease. Methods: Retrospectively, data from 60 patients with SSc underwent ophthalmic examination, where non-invasive film tear break-up time (NIF-TBUT), tear film lipid layer thickness (LLT), anesthetic-free Schirmer test I, tear osmolarity measurement (TearLab System), and modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) data were collected. The visual analog scale (VAS) and Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE) methods were utilized. The results were correlated with mRSS and the duration of SSc. Results: Severe DES occurred in 84% of cases, and was more severe in women. The eyelids were involved in 86.6%, secondary to meibomian gland disease (MGD). A direct correlation was found between the tear osmolarity (mean 328.51 ± 23.8 SD) and skin score (mRSS) (r = 0.79; p < 0.01). Significantly reduced NIF-TBUT, LLT, and Schirmer test I values were observed in the case of severe skin involvement. Conclusions: SSc patients show lipid tear dysfunction related to the severity and duration of the disease due to inflammation and the subsequent atrophy of the meibomian glands

Use of domesticated pigs by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in northwestern Europe

Acknowledgements We thank the Archaeological State Museum Schleswig-Holstein, the Archaeological State Offices of Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and Saxony and the following individuals who provided sample material: Betty Arndt, Jo¨rg Ewersen, Frederick Feulner, Susanne Hanik, Ru¨diger Krause, Jochen Reinhard, Uwe Reuter, Karl-Heinz Ro¨hrig, Maguerita Scha¨fer, Jo¨rg Schibler, Reinhold Schoon, Regina Smolnik, Thomas Terberger and Ingrid Ulbricht. We are grateful to Ulrich Schmo¨lcke, Michael Forster, Peter Forster and Aikaterini Glykou for their support and comments on the manuscript. We also thank many institutions and individuals that provided sample material and access to collections, especially the curators of the Museum fu¨r Naturkunde, Berlin; Muse´um National d0 Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.; Zoologische Staatssammlung, Mu¨nchen; Museum fu¨r Haustierkunde, Halle; the American Museum of Natural History, New-York. This work was funded by the Graduate School ‘Human Development in Landscapes’ at Kiel University (CAU) and supported by NERC project Grant NE/F003382/1. Radiocarbon dating was carried out at the Leibniz Laboratory, CAU. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.Peer reviewedPublisher PD