U/Th dating of a tufa deposit from the Carsoli intramontane basin (Abruzzo, Italy)

A few km far from the confluence of the Fioi valley into the Carsoli basin, some hundreds m2 wide and ca. 1.5 m thick carbonatic deposit is present, embedded within late Middle Pleistocene alluvial gravel. The deposit formation might be related to sub-aerial deposition of CaCO3 (tufa) from emerging groundwater. A U/Th dating to 46 ± 6 ka BP constrains the deposit within the MIS 3, corresponding to a phase of warming between the MIS 4 and 2

Evoluzione geomorfologica quaternaria della conca intermontana di Carsoli (Aq)

In the present work the results of a geological and geomorphological study are presented. The study has been carried out in the Carsoli intermontane basin (AQ), a wide depression of tectonic origin, located between Abruzzo and Lazio regions, at the boundary of two different palaeogeographic domains, separated by the “Olevano-Antrodoco” tectonic line. The Carsoli basin is filled with a continental sedimentary succession of considerable thickness and extent, which has been classified into several lithostratigraphic units, mainly on the basis of their lithological, morphological and geochronological characteristics. The oldest continental sediments outcropping within the study area are of lacustrine origin (Bosco di Oricola silts, clays and sands). These sediments, whose deposition has probably occurred in the Lower – Middle Pleistocene, are characterized by a maximum thickness of about 200 m. They are widespread in the north-western and central parts of the basin (Bosco di Oricola) and are locally present on the eastern edge of the basin. The lacustrine deposits are cut across by an ancient sub-horizontal erosion surface, and at present, only some remnants remain. The lacustrine sediments are covered, on the north-eastern edge of the basin, by coarse fluvial sediments suspended on the present plain, originally deposited by the paleo-Turano River (Madonna delle Grazie gravels). In the central-western and southern part of the study area, a significant sequence of local volcanic deposits, dated around 530 – 540 kyears BP, outcrops. The volcanic sequence abruptly begins from an articulated erosive surface shaped in lacustrine deposits and Meso-Cenozoic carbonatic bedrock. Three main pyroclastic units are distinguished in the following members: 1) Oricola scalo opening–vent breccias, 2) Oricola Scalo grey tuffs, 3) S. Giovanni red tuffs. Only the last two units widely outcrops in the study area. The Oricola Scalo opening-vent breccias are relative to the early opening phase of the conduit. They consist of a massive structure connected to the depositional mechanisms of airfall and/or debris flow, separated by tuff layers related to base surge phenomena. The Oricola Scalo grey tuffs unit mainly consists of grey ash-lapilli tuffs with surge cross-laminations, and grey lapilli tuffs with a massive structure of pyroclastic flow. The overlying S. Giovanni red tuffs are characterized, instead, by a thickness and distribution greater than that of underlying grey tuffs. The unit is mainly composed of red lapilli tuffs, with dune structures or a parallel lamination of surge and airfall. After the lacustrine sedimentation and the volcanic episodes, the examined area underwent intense fluvial dynamics. This led to the sedimentation, in the central-southern and eastern part of the basin, of a sequence of alluvial deposits belonging to different depositional events. The morpho-litho-stratigraphic analysis of these fluvial deposits, in addition with radiometric ages, allowed for their classification into four units (Prati gravels, sands and silts, Fioio Stream conglomerates, Immagine gravels, sands and silts, Turano River gravels, sands and silts) progressively embedded into each other and ranging in age between the late Middle Pleistocene and the Present. Entrenched in the late Middle Pleistocene alluvial unit, in the southern sector of the basin (Fonte Bosco), a few hundred meters long and 1.5 meters thick calcareous tufa layer, dated by U-series method at 46,000 ± 6,000 years BP outcrops. With regard to the most recent depositional phases, great relevance has to be ascribed to the stratigraphic study carried out on the Fosso Luisa fan (Camerata Nuova) and the radiometric dating of colluvial horizon, there present. This dating, providing a calibrated 14C age of 3,550-3,400 years BP, has allowed for a temporal definition of some sedimentary and erosive events that marked the upper part of the fan during the final part of Holocene

Caratteristiche geomorfologiche dell’Isola di Pianosa.

Pianosa Island belongs to the Tuscany Archipelago; it has an extension of 10 km2, 18 km of coastal development and a max altitude of 29 m a.s.l. The island is made up of neogenic and quaternary sediments; pelitic Miocene sediments outcrops at the base of the cliff in the south-western coast, while the bio-calcarenitic Pliocene sediments cover most part of the island. Quaternary deposits are established by biodetrital shore sediments of Tyrrhenian age and by Late Pleistocene colluvial deposits. The island is characterized by cliffs in the western and southern sector, by plain surfaces and by a small beach in the east side. Cliffs have been distinguished in 3 different types. In the first type is always present a developing wave notch. When the coast is not characterized by cliff we can found erosion plains (at maximum level of approximately 4 m) formed during the Tyrrhenian high stand (Isotopic stage 5e). These erosion planes can be suspended and sub-horizontal (when the layers of the pliocenic substrate dip towards inland), or gently tilted towards sea (when the layers of the pliocenic substrate dip towards sea). On these various erosion planes are always present rock pools characterized by different shape and dimension, besides rare fossiliferous shore deposits (Panchina). In these sediments have been recognized, between others: Strombus bubonius, Patella ferruginea and Conus testudinarius, dating Tyrrhenian age. On the island we can found three different order of erosion planes at 2-4 m, 8 m and 25 m a.s.l. Karst process produced erosion epigean micro-landforms, such us dissolutional flutes, dissolutional groves and dissolutional pans (kamenitza), macro-landforms represented by E-W karst oval basin depressions, enlarged hundred meters and few meters deep. The same process left isolated rock promontory residual of the tyrrhenian cliffs coast lines. Much diffused are hypogean karst shape such as caves and conduits that, sometimes, are opened on the cliff and are visible only by the sea. In some of these caves, characterized by speleothemes, we discovered, at a quote of 7 m a.s.l., marine deposits and litodomes holes probably of Tyrrhenian age. Frequently is the founding of breccias breeded by collapse of caves and conduits. Surface karst landforms are widening covered by high agricoltural activity developed in the last two centuries due to the presence of the agricoltural penal colony

Geomorphological map of the Pianosa Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy)

The Island of Pianosa is located in the Tuscan Archipelago, a few kilometers south-east of Elba Island, approximately 40 km from Corsica, and 50 km from the Tuscany coast. It represents the emerged portion of a long N-S submarine ridge connecting the Island of Capraia with Scoglio d'Africa, a very small islet located west of the Island of Montecristo. Pianosa has a sub-triangular shape with a similar to 10 km(2) surface area, a coastal perimeter of approximately 18 km, and a maximum height of 29 m a.s.l. The Pianosa landscape has primarily been formed by coastal and karst processes, which have resulted in numerous related landforms. Due to the particular scientific interest of the island, the Geological Survey of Italy has promoted research on Pianosa Island aimed at the development of a 1:12,500 scale geomorphological map

Electroporation as a method of choice to generate genetically modified dendritic cell cancer vaccines.

In the last few decades, immunotherapy has emerged as an alternative therapeutic approach to treat cancer. Immunotherapy offers a plethora of different treatment possibilities. Among these, dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccines constitute one of the most promising and valuable therapeutic options. DC-vaccines have been introduced into the clinics more than 15 years ago, and preclinical studies showed their general safety and low toxic effects on patients. However, their treatment efficacy is still rather limited, demanding for novel avenues to improve vaccine efficacy. One way to potentially achieve this is to focus on improving the DC-T cell interaction to further increase T cell priming and downstream activity. A successful DC-T cell interaction requires three different signals (Figure 1): (1) Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and antigen complex interaction with T cell receptor (TCR) (2) interaction between co-stimulatory molecules and their cognate ligands at the cell surface and (3) secretion of cytokines to polarize the immune response toward a Type 1 helper (Th1) phenotype. In recent years, many studies attempted to improve the DC-T cell interaction and overall cancer vaccine therapeutic outcomes by increasing the expression of mediators of signal 1, 2 and/or 3, through genetic modifications of DCs. Transfection of genes of interest can be achieved through many different methods such as passive pulsing, lipofection, viral transfection, or electroporation (EP). However, EP is currently emerging as the method of choice thanks to its safety, versatility, and relatively easy clinical translation. In this review we will highlight the potential benefits of EP over other transfection methods as well as giving an overview of the available studies employing EP to gene-modify DCs in cancer vaccines. Crucial aspects such as safety, feasibility, and gene(s) of choice will be also discussed, together with future perspectives and opportunities for DC genetic engineering

Un modello concettuale di banca dati per l’informatizzazione di carta geomorfologica

Sulla base di alcuni rilevamenti geomorfologici condotti e finalizzati alla realizzazione di cartografie digitali, è stato messo a punto un modello fisico di banca dati, al fine di rendere gli eventuali database geomorfologici utilizzabili per l’allestimento di carte geomorfologiche a diversa scala. Il modello di banca dati proposto prevede la possibilità di sfruttare le informazioni anche per realizzare carte geotematiche di vario tipo e per effettuare analisi geomorfologiche quantitative più specifiche (Cipolloni et alii, 2005a). Sono stati identificati 5 insiemi di informazioni, provenienti non solo dal database geomorfologico ma anche dagli archivi dei progetti CARG e IFFI. Il modello concettuale è stato sviluppato a partire dalle linee guida della carta geomorfologica alla scala 1:50.000 (AA.VV., 1994), implementando attributi utili alla gestione della cartografia a scala multipla e alla valutazione e analisi della cronologia dei processi morfogenetici

Il vulcanismo monogenico medio-pleistocenico della conca di Carsoli (L’Aquila).

The volcanic field is comprised of several Upper Pleistocene small tuff cones, tuff rings and maars (531 ka), aligned along a NNW-SSE normal fault of regional meaning. Most of the deposits are directly related to vent structures and preserve signs of primary proximal origin consisting of high-energy structures, welded lapilli and ballistic impacts. Characteristic sequences of vent coring eterolithic breccias, dry lapilli-ash surges of high-temperature and wet surges of ash-lapilli tuff are exposed and found in well coring. Juvenile fragments consist of plastically moulded lapilli, essentially composed of diopside, phlogopite, leucite, K-feldspar, apatite and immersed in a turbid micro-cryptocrystalline matrix of Ca-carbonate. Lapilli shape indicates that they agglutinated and quenched when still hot plastic. Silicate glass shards are present and have typical cuspate wedges produced by bubbles expansion and disruption during magmatic activity sustained by juvenile gases. A late phreato-strombolian phase builted several tuff-rings and cones. At Oricola - Carsoli - Rocca di Botte - Camerata Nuova volcanic field, juvenile fragments and tuffs range from phonolitic-foidite to foiditic-carbonatitic to carbonatite s.s. The latter forms small pyroclastic flows and surge deposits. Geological context, age, mineralogy and petrology are germane with the near Grotta del Cervo occurrence and are consistent with the carbonatitic-kamafugitic suite of Italy. This new carbonatitic outcrop, that joins the increasing number of Italian carbonatites, puts Italy in a relevant place for what concerns carbon-rich mantle magmatism occurrences. Actually, the six extrusive carbonatites and the intrusive one so far reported, represent one of the largest concentrations of such a kind of rocks all over the world