Late Quaternary climatic variations on the Latium and Campanian Margin of the Tyrrhenian Sea

A multidisciplinary investigation was carried out on two cores, MC 82-12 (Palinuro intraslope basin) and ML 83-21 (Pontinia intraslope basin), recovered during a cruise carried out in 1983, in the eastern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea, funded by C.N.R. Quantitative analyses of planktonic foraminifers, along with oxygen and carbon stable isotopes analyses, and mineralogical and petrological studies on tephra layers allowed to recognize and date, by means of isotopic stratigraphy, the main climatic events of the Late Quaternary: the Last Glacial Maximum, the Younger Dryas event, as well as Termination IA and IB. The planktonic assemblages recognized in the two cores correlate well between them and with the oxygen isotopic signal, even if there are some discrepancies, related to oceanographic factors other than temperature influencing the foraminifers distributio

Risk of Subsea Blowouts in Marine CCS

In the foreseeable future, Carbon dioxide Capture and Sequestration (CCS) technique represents a promising method to contribute to the fulfilling of the ambitious objectives of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction posed by the European Commission (EU). The permanent storage of CO2 is a step in the CCS chain that is of great concern due to the possibility of major accidents that could harm both humans and the environment. In the Adriatic Sea, the perspective of reusing depleted natural gas fields to stock CO2 has become more and more appealing since it provides a competitive option to reduce emissions in the short term. With that comes the need to estimate the risk of potential CO2 leakage events, particularly of blowout scenarios, which are one of the main hazards in CO2 injection due to the potential extended duration and high flow rate of the release. Thus, in the present study an assessment of the effects of CO2 blowouts in shallow water has been performed, identifying a set of models and tools available for the analysis of the consequences of subsea gaseous leakages and applying them to specific case studies. The aim of the current investigation is to highlight the specific aspects of the risk profile of CO2 blowouts with respect to those of natural gas, considering that the risk of gas blowouts is not new and has previously been effectively controlled and managed in areas where natural gas reservoirs were exploited

Electro-membrane Processes for the Green Hydrogen Production

Since the last century, humanity has been facing challenging scenarios, like global warming, environmental pollution and the dramatic increase in energy demand. In this framework, green hydrogen has been identified as the most promising energy vector to achieve carbon neutrality. With this respect, the idea of the present work is to combine the Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) membrane process with hydrogen production. Experimental RED tests were carried out by feeding the unit with different concentrated solutions to study the process performance. Collected results suggest that this approach is a viable way to produce hydrogen with high faradic efficiencies, up to a maximum of 99 %, highlighting also the technology advantage of producing hydrogen by exploiting the salinity gradient energy, thus leading to a production with Specific Energy Consumption close to zero

Changes of oxygen isotope values of soil P pools associated with changes in soil pH

Field data about the effect of soil pH on phosphorus (P) cycling is limited. A promising tool to study P cycling under field conditions is the 18O:16O ratio of phosphate (δ18OP). In this study we investigate whether the δ18OP can be used to elucidate the effect of soil pH on P cycling in grasslands. Soils and plants were sampled from different fertilisation and lime treatments of the Park Grass long term experiment at Rothamsted Research, UK. The soils were sequentially extracted to isolate different soil P pools, including available P and corresponding δ18OP values were determined. We did not observe changes in plant δ18OP value, but soil P δ18OP values changed, and lower δ18OP values were associated with higher soil pH values. At sites where P was not limiting, available P δ18OP increased by up to 3‰ when lime was applied. We show that the δ18OP method is a useful tool to investigate the effect of pH on soil P cycling under field conditions as it highlights that different soil processes must govern P availability as pH shifts. The next challenge is now to identify these underlying processes, enabling better management of soil P at different pH

Electro-membrane Processes for the Green Hydrogen Production

Since the last century, humanity has been facing challenging scenarios, like global warming, environmental pollution and the dramatic increase in energy demand. In this framework, green hydrogen has been identified as the most promising energy vector to achieve carbon neutrality. With this respect, the idea of the present work is to combine the Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) membrane process with hydrogen production. Experimental RED tests were carried out by feeding the unit with different concentrated solutions to study the process performance. Collected results suggest that this approach is a viable way to produce hydrogen with high faradic efficiencies, up to a maximum of 99 %, highlighting also the technology advantage of producing hydrogen by exploiting the salinity gradient energy, thus leading to a production with Specific Energy Consumption close to zero

A multi-scalar investigation of the colouring materials used in textile wrappings of Egyptian votive animal mummies

Commonly exhibited in museum galleries, animal mummies have been the focus of interest of both visitors and researchers alike. The study of these animal remains not only provides new insights into embalming techniques, but also brings a unique perspective on religious, social and economic practices. Twenty animal mummies are discussed in this study, including cats, ibises, crocodiles, calves and birds of prey from the collections of the British Museum (London, UK) and the Museo Egizio (Turin, Italy). The external textile wrappings encasing the mummified body of the animals were investigated with the main aim of identifying the colourants used. In fact, these are mostly patterned using undyed and coloured (mostly red, brown and black) linen strips. Broadband multispectral imaging (MSI) was initially carried out to obtain preliminary information at the macro-scale on the distribution and chemical nature of the colouring agents. Fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) was then used to survey several coloured areas of the textile wrappings. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) and red ochre were identified non-invasively. Representative samples were then taken and observed using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in order to obtain information at the micro-scale on the distribution of the colouring agents on the fibres, as well as the presence of other materials, including those from environmental contamination. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) revealed the elemental composition of particles and clear areas of the fibres, whereas high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC\u2013MS/MS) provided the identification of the organic dyes at a molecular level. The use of hydrolysable and condensed tannins, in combination with iron as a mordant, was found to be used in the very dark shades, which generally corresponded to the textiles with the worst state of preservation. Nevertheless, other aspects, such as fibre processing and bleaching, fungal attack and presence of coating materials appeared to play a role in the evaluation of the conservation state of these textiles. The characterisation of the dyes and the additional inorganic materials contributed to elucidating the production technology of the colours used for animal mummification, and provided insights into ancient dyeing methods

Foodomics-Based Approaches Shed Light on the Potential Protective Effects of Polyphenols in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

nflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and progressive inflammatory disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract (GT) caused by a wide range of genetic, microbial, and environ- mental factors. IBD is characterized by chronic inflammation and decreased gut microbial diversity, dysbiosis, with a lower number of beneficial bacteria and a concomitant increase in pathogenic species. It is well known that dysbiosis is closely related to the induction of inflammation and oxidative stress, the latter caused by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cellular antioxidant capacity, leading to cellular ROS accumulation. ROS are responsible for intestinal epithelium oxidative damage and the increased intestinal permeability found in IBD patients, and their reduction could represent a potential therapeutic strategy to limit IBD progression and alleviate its symptoms. Recent evidence has highlighted that dietary polyphenols, the natural antioxidants, can maintain redox equilibrium in the GT, preventing gut dysbiosis, intestinal epithelium damage, and radical inflammatory responses. Here, we suggest that the relatively new foodomics approaches, together with new technologies for promoting the antioxidative properties of dietary polyphenols, including novel delivery systems, chemical modifications, and combination strategies, may provide critical insights to determine the clinical value of polyphenols for IBD therapy and a comprehensive perspective for implementing natural antioxidants as potential IBD candidate treatment

The Effects of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in Monotherapy and with Add-on Treatments on Health-related Quality of Life of People with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Systematic Review of Randomized-Controlled Trials

Background: The era of establishing tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) changed the outcome and the course of this life threatening malignancy. People suffering from CML have now a better prognosis and a longer life expectancy due to the development of TKIs, even if it requires long-term, often lifelong, treatments that are nonetheless associated with improved Health-related Quality of life (HRQoL). However, data on the effects of TKIs on HRQoL are not always systematic; sometimes the data have been obtained by studies different from RCTs, or without a clear definition of what HRQoL is. The main purpose of this systematic review is to summarize all randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) including HRQoL as main or secondary outcome in patients with CML treated with TKIs or with TKIs plus an add-on treatment. Methods: A systematic review has been conducted by searching the relevant papers in PubMed/Medline and Web of Science with the following keywords: “quality of life” OR “health-related quality of life” OR “QoL” OR “HRQoL” OR “H-QoL” AND “chronic myeloid leukemia”. Interval was set from January 2000 to December 2020. Results: 40 papers were identified through the search. Out of them, 7 RCTs were included. All the studies used standardized measures to assess HRQoL, even not always specific for CML. 5 RCTs randomized subjects to 2 or 3 arms to evaluate the effects of TKIs of the first, second and third generation in monotherapy. 2 RCTs randomized subjects to TKI therapy plus an add-on treatment versus TKI therapy as usual. The results of all these trials were examined and discussed. Conclusion: All the included RCTs pointed out significant findings regarding the positive effects of TKIs on HRQoL of people with CML, both when they were used in monotherapy or, notably, with an add-on treatment to enhance TKIs effects