Soluble surfactant effects on gas absorption of organic compounds

A literature search dating back to the beginning of this century turned up no previous work similar to ours. We discuss several methods and experiments involving the scrubbing of air streams. The objective of this work was the determination of surfactant affects on the solubility of certain organic compounds of varying solubility in water. A means of simulating a packed tower was devised to allow for bench scale evaluation and thus enabled a greater number of organic compounds to be examined with a greater variety of surfactants. Curves were plotted based on organic vapor concentration, surfactant concentration, organic type, surfactant type, and the initial organic in water concentration. Vapor pressure data was determined through use of gas chromatography techniques. Data was analyzed with respect to- surfactant type and considerations were given to surfactant critical micelle concentration and its effects on each organic compound. Trends in solubility differentials as a result of surfactant concentrations were observed and noted

Symmetry-Breaking Phase Transition without Peierls Mechanism in Conducting Monoatomic Chains

The one-dimensional (1D) model system Au/Ge(001), consisting of linear chains of single atoms on a surface, is scrutinized for lattice instabilities predicted in the Peierls paradigm. By scanning tunneling microscopy and electron diffraction we reveal a second-order phase transition at 585 K. It leads to charge ordering with transversal and vertical displacements and complex interchain correlations. However, the structural phase transition is not accompanied by the electronic signatures of a charge density wave, thus precluding a Peierls instability as origin. Instead, this symmetry-breaking transition exhibits three-dimensional critical behavior. This reflects a dichotomy between the decoupled 1D electron system and the structural elements that interact via the substrate. Such substrate-mediated coupling between the wires thus appears to have been underestimated also in related chain systems.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted at Physical Review Letters 09/201

Phytochemical profiling, antibacterial and antioxidant properties of Crocus sativus flower: A comparison between tepals and stigmas

Several studies have demonstrated that stigmas of Crocus sativus contain several bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. However, during the processing of stigmas, large amounts of floral bio-residues are normally discarded as by-products. In this study, using untargeted metabolomics, the comprehensive phytochemical composition of C. sativus stigma and tepals was investigated. Moreover, the antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties of the extracts of C. sativus stigmas and tepals were compared. The study was carried out using two methicillin-resistant staphylococcal reference strains (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984), representing important Gram-positive biofilm-forming human pathogens. The antibacterial properties were correlated with total polyphenol content, total terpenoid content, and in vitro antioxidant properties of tepals and stigmas. The results demonstrated that stigma and tepal extracts, at the sub-toxic concentrations, were able to interfere with biofilm formation by ATCC 43300 and ATCC 35984. Besides, the higher antibacterial activity of tepals than stigmas was associated with higher levels of phycompounds. Therefore, our results demonstrated that C. sativus stigmas and bio-residues, such as tepals, are potential antioxidant sources and good candidates as antibacterial agents to prevent biofilm formation. Taken together, these findings showed that C. sativus could be used as functional ingredient by the food and pharmaceutical industries

High-performance versatile setup for simultaneous Brillouin-Raman micro-spectroscopy

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from American Physical Society via the DOI in this record.Brillouin and Raman scattering spectroscopy are established techniques for the nondestructive contactless and label-free readout of mechanical, chemical and structural properties of condensed matter. Brillouin-Raman investigations currently require separate measurements and a site-matched approach to obtain complementary information from a sample. Here we demonstrate a new concept of fully scanning multimodal micro-spectroscopy for simultaneous detection of Brillouin and Raman light scattering in an exceptionally wide spectral range, from fractions of GHz to hundreds of THz. It yields an unprecedented 150 dB contrast, which is especially important for the analysis of opaque or turbid media such as biomedical samples, and spatial resolution on a sub-cellular scale. We report the first applications of this new multimodal method to a range of systems, from a single cell to the fast reaction kinetics of a curing process, and the mechano-chemical mapping of highly scattering biological samples.S. Corezzi acknowledges financial support from MIUR-PRIN (Project No. 2012J8X57P). S. Caponi acknowledges support from PAT (Provincia Autonoma di Trento) (GP/PAT/2012) “Grandi Progetti 2012” Project “MaDEleNA.” P. S., A. M., M. P. acknowledge financial support from Centro Nazionale Trapianti (Project: “Studio di cellule per uso clinico umano, con particolare riferimento a modelli cellulari (liposomi) e linee cellulari in interazione con crioconservanti e con materiali biocompatibili”). L. C. and S. Caponi acknowledge financial support from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto Officina dei Materiali. F. P. acnowledges support from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant No. EP/M028739/1 (F. P.)). The authors acknowledge Jacopo Scarponi for valuable help in setting up the hardware and software system for simultaneous Raman and BLS measurements

Anisotropic Approach for Simulating Electron Transport in Layered Materials: Computational and Experimental Study of Highly Oriented Pyrolitic Graphite

In this work, we propose a theoretical and computational model for taking into account the anisotropic structure of Highly Oriented Pyrolitic Graphite (HOPG) in the Monte Carlo simulations of charge transport. In particular, the dielectric characteristics, such as the inelastic mean free path and energy losses, are treated by linearly combining the contributions to these observables along the two main orthogonal directions identifying the layered crystalline structure of HOPG (along the layer plane and perpendicular to it). Energy losses are evaluated from ab initio calculations of the dielectric function of the system along these two perpendicular directions. Monte Carlo simulated spectra, obtained with our anisotropic approach, are compared with acquired experimental data of Reflection Electron Energy Loss and Secondary Electron spectra, showing a good agreement. These findings validate the idea of the importance of considering properly-weighted inter-planar and intra-planar interactions in the simulation of electron transport in layered materials

Insight into Elderly ALS Patients in the Emilia Romagna Region: Epidemiological and Clinical Features of Late-Onset ALS in a Prospective, Population-Based Study

Few studies have focused on elderly (>80 years) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, who represent a fragile subgroup generally not included in clinical trials and often neglected because they are more difficult to diagnose and manage. We analyzed the clinical and genetic features of very late-onset ALS patients through a prospective, population-based study in the Emilia Romagna Region of Italy. From 2009 to 2019, 222 (13.76%) out of 1613 patients in incident cases were over 80 years old at diagnosis, with a female predominance (F:M = 1.18). Elderly ALS patients represented 12.02% of patients before 2015 and 15.91% from 2015 onwards (p = 0.024). This group presented with bulbar onset in 38.29% of cases and had worse clinical conditions at diagnosis compared to younger patients, with a lower average BMI (23.12 vs. 24.57 Kg/m2), a higher progression rate (1.43 vs. 0.95 points/month), and a shorter length of survival (a median of 20.77 vs. 36 months). For this subgroup, genetic analyses have seldom been carried out (25% vs. 39.11%) and are generally negative. Finally, elderly patients underwent less frequent nutritional- and respiratory-supporting procedures, and multidisciplinary teams were less involved at follow-up, except for specialist palliative care. The genotypic and phenotypic features of elderly ALS patients could help identify the different environmental and genetic risk factors that determine the age at which disease onset occurs. Since multidisciplinary management can improve a patient’s prognosis, it should be more extensively applied to this fragile group of patients

Boschi di neoformazione in Italia: approfondimenti conoscitivi e orientamenti gestionali

Nelle regioni meridionali, e in Sicilia in particolare, la fisionomia della vegetazione forestale post-abbandono è quella della macchia o arbusteto che difficilmente evolve verso un bosco propriamente detto. Il processo evolutivo della vegetazione spesso non raggiunge lo stadio di bosco non perché le condizioni ambientali non lo consentano ma per due ragioni fondamentali: i disturbi, in particolare gli incendi e il pascolo, e le limitazioni nell’arrivo di propaguli, causate dalla mancanza di piante madri, dei dispersori dei semi o entrambi. Infatti, in contesti favorevoli (assenza di disturbi e arrivo dei propaguli) la vegetazione evolve sino al bosco. Le formazioni preforestali frutto dei processi di successione secondaria occupano superfici significative e sono conseguenza del fenomeno dell’abbandono dell’agricoltura iniziato alla seconda metà del secolo scorso e che ha interessato tutta l’Europa. Alcune azioni per ridurre i fattori negativi ed esaltare invece i vantaggi ambientali sono possibili per i boschi degli ambienti mediterranei. Tra queste, la trasformazione dei boschi di neoformazione in sistemi agroforestali, e più propriamente silvopastorali, utilizzando la parte aerea delle specie arboree e arbustive e mantenendo piccoli nuclei di specie spontanee utili alla fauna selvatica (a esempio, specie con frutti carnosi) senza lasciare che esse dominino la vegetazione erbacea. Ciò consentirebbe una valorizzazione delle superfici innanzitutto come pascoli, ma non si esclude l’utilizzazione come legna da ardere della componente arborea e, in certi casi, dei prodotti ottenibili (a esempio, manna, mandorle, carrube, nocciole). Altra possibilità per non disperdere i vantaggi consisterebbe nel mettere a coltura gli ex coltivi adottando tecniche alternative che non disperdano il carbonio accumulato. Su questo aspetto esistono già esperienze: ciò potrebbe inoltre ridurre la conflittualità tra gli enti gestori delle aree protette, restii a consentire un ritorno alla coltivazione, e gli agricoltori nonché i sostenitori della necessità di tutelare i paesaggi agrari

Antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of Carthamus tinctorius, hydroxy safflor yellow A, and safflor yellow A

(1) Carthamus Tinctorius L. (safflower) is extensively used in traditional herbal medicine. (2) The aim of this study was to investigate the bioactive properties of polyphenol extracts from flowers of Carthamus Tinctorius (CT) cultivated in Italy. We also evaluated the properties of two bioactive water-soluble flavonoid compounds, hydroxy safflor yellow A (HSYA) and safflor yellow A (SYA), contained in Carthamus Tinctorius petals. (3) The total polyphenol content was 3.5 ± 0.2 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g, flavonoids content was 330 ± 23 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/100 g in the flowers. The extract showed a high antioxidant activity evaluated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assays. In addition, flower extract, SYA, and HSYA were able to reduce the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein to copper-induced lipid peroxidation. In order to investigate the bioactive properties of flower extract, SYA, and HSYA we also studied their modulatory effect of oxidative stress on human dermal fibroblasts (HuDe) oxidized by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH). The CT extract at concentrations ranging from 0.01–20 μg GAE/mL of polyphenols, exerted a protective effect against t-BOOH triggered oxidative stress. At higher concentration the extract exerted a pro-oxidant effect. Similar results have been obtained using HSYA and SYA. (4) These results demonstrate a biphasic effect exerted by HSYA, SYA, and flower extracts on oxidative stress

Protection of polyphenols against glyco‐oxidative stress: Involvement of glyoxalase pathway

Chronic high glucose (HG) exposure increases methylglyoxal (MGO)‐derived advanced glycation end‐products (AGEs) and is involved in the onset of pathological conditions, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and chronic‐degenerative diseases. Under physiologic conditions the harmful effects of MGO are contrasted by glyoxalase system that is implicated in the detoxification of Reactive Carbonyl Species (RCS) and maintain the homeostasis of the redox environment of the cell. Polyphenols are the most abundant antioxidants in the diet and present various health benefits. Aims of the study were to investigate the effects of HG‐chronic exposure on glyco‐oxidation and glyoxalase system in intestinal cells, using CaCo‐2 cells. Moreover, we studied the effect of apple polyphenols on glyco‐oxidative stress. Our data demonstrated that HG‐treatment triggers glyco-oxidation stress with a significant increase in intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, AGEs, and increase of Glyoxalase I (GlxI) activity. On the contrary, Glyoxalase II (GlxII) activity was lower in HG‐treated cells. We demonstrate that apple polyphenols exert a protective effect against oxidative stress and dicarbonyl stress. The increase of total antioxidant capacity and glutathione (GSH) levels in HG‐treated cells in the presence of apple polyphenols was associated with a decrease of GlxI activity