Mantle-derived serpentinites have been detected at magma-poor rifted margins and above subduction zones, where they are usually produced by fluids released from the slab to the mantle wedge. Here we ...show evidence of a new class of serpentinite diapirs within the external subduction system of the Calabrian Arc, derived directly from the lower plate. Mantle serpentinites rise through lithospheric faults caused by incipient rifting and the collapse of the accretionary wedge. Mantle-derived diapirism is not linked directly to subduction processes. The serpentinites, formed probably during Mesozoic Tethyan rifting, were carried below the subduction system by plate convergence; lithospheric faults driving margin segmentation act as windows through which inherited serpentinites rise to the sub-seafloor. The discovery of deep-seated seismogenic features coupled with inherited lower plate serpentinite diapirs, provides constraints on mechanisms exposing altered products of mantle peridotite at the seafloor long time after their formation.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant neoplasm worldwide. The objective of this study was to examine whether carnosic acid (CA), the main antioxidant compound of Rosmarinus ...officinalis L., would inhibit the cell viability of three CRC cell lines: Caco-2, HT29 and LoVo in a dose-dependent manner, with IC₅₀ values in the range of 24-96 µM. CA induced cell death by apoptosis in Caco-2 line after 24 h of treatment and inhibited cell adhesion and migration, possibly by reducing the activity of secreted proteases such as urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and metalloproteinases (MMPs). These effects may be associated through a mechanism involving the inhibition of the COX-2 pathway, because we have determined that CA downregulates the expression of COX-2 in Caco-2 cells at both the mRNA and protein levels. Therefore, CA modulates different targets involved in the development of CRC. These findings indicate that carnosic acid may have anticancer activity and may be useful as a novel chemotherapeutic agent.
The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a floating aquatic plant belonging to the Pontederiaceae family. This plant, native to South America, grows on the surface of lakes, rivers and canals in ...tropical and sub-tropical areas. Because of its human transport in other tropical climate areas and its high grow rate, the water hyacinth is considered one of the prominent invading macrophytes in eutrophic water basins; the quality of water in those regions have been negatively affected. The water hyacinth is characterized by a high content of lignocellulosic biomass, with a 10% average content of lignin, useful in both thermochemical and biochemical processes. The anaerobic digestion process should be considered as a very attractive solution to produce biogas. This kind of biomass needs to be chemically and thermally treated before being directly involved into the anaerobic digestion reaction. This work aims to give a detailed analysis of water hyacinth biomass energy properties in terms of its use in anaerobic digestion processes, before and after targeted treatments, highlighting any improvements that should be made to the procedures by literature. Related process parameters are also investigated. The conducted experimental campaign shows how the thermal pre-treatment at low temperatures increases the volatile solids content from 57% to 74% (w/w), decreasing the ash content.
Ni-based catalysts are very effective and largely used for the steam reforming of heavy hydrocarbons (tars) generated from biomass gasification, even if Ni suffers from deactivation issues mainly due ...to carbon deposition, sintering and sulphur poisoning. Mayenite (Ca12Al14O33), as support for Ni, has been previously studied and has shown excellent oxidation properties that increase the resistance of the catalyst to carbon deposits. Nevertheless Ni/Mayenite catalyst still suffers from sulphur poisoning. Ceria (CeO2) is well known to be an effective promoter that can bring several advantages to catalysts, such as enhancing the resistance to carbon deposits and increasing the sulphur tolerance of nickel. Here CeO2 is added to Ni/Mayenite catalysts to evaluate its promoting features and resistance to deactivation. In this study Ni/Mayenite and Ce/Ni/Mayenite catalysts were synthesized, characterized and tested in the steam reforming of tar model compounds. The catalytic tests were carried out under different operating parameters (temperature, space velocity and nature of tar compounds) and in the presence of sulphur, and the used samples were characterized to identify the reasons of deactivation.
Tar production in a biomass gasification process is one of the biggest issues for this technology and, thus, gas conditioning represents a key role in its development. The aim of this work is to ...evaluate the removal efficiency, besides the stability during the time, of a gas conditioning and cleaning section in a combined configuration. In particular, the primary treatment step consists in a secondary bed reactor of dolomite, before of an exhausted vegetable oil scrubber. They were analysed for several hours of operation (12 h), coupled to a bench-scale gasification reactor. It was obtained that the combined system provides reduction of total tars (MW > C7H8) equal to 97%, leading to a producer gas dew point temperature of 17 °C. On the contrary, when only cleaning action of scrubber media is considered, saturation of oil occurs after only 1.5 working hours. In the same time, when only conditioning system of dolomite guard bed is considered, tars reduction is still high, even after 14 working hours, but dew point temperature is 56 °C. The combined gas conditioning and cleaning system resulted to be the best solution in terms of removal efficiency and stability.
•Vegetable oil scrubber and dolomite guard bed for biomass gasification tar removal.•Combined cleaning and conditioning system tested for 12 h of operation.•Tars reduction of 97% (MW > C7H8) and dew point temperature of 17 °C.•Durable, efficient and sustainable cleaning system for syngas exploitation.•Crucial technology for biomass gasification plants development.
The northern Apennines of Italy are a classical site for studying fundamental issues in tectonic studies, such as ophiolite formation and emplacement, kinematics of thrust wedges, role of in‐sequence ...and out‐of‐sequence thrusting, and of along strike segmentation, synorogenic versus postorogenic extension, and interplay between tectonics, erosion, and sedimentation. Accordingly, the northern Apennines have been extensively studied since more than two centuries ago. Despite the huge amount of available data with different resolution, a 3‐D comprehensive regional view combining in a modern framework all available surface and subsurface information for contiguous sectors of the chain is still lacking. We performed such an attempt in the area framed between the Taro valley to the north and the northern termination of the Alpi Apuane to the south. The region includes the main morphostructural zones of the north‐west Apennines from the Tyrrhenian coast (SSW of La Spezia), through the main topographic divide of the Apennines, up to the foothills range of the chain to the north. The area has been investigated through a multidisciplinary approach that integrated surface geological data, collected during the last two decades of structural and stratigraphic field works, and subsurface geological data. The construction of two regional NE‐SW trending cross sections (the Levanto‐Pontremoli‐Parma to the north and the La Spezia‐ Sarzana‐North Apuane‐Cerreto to the south), intersected by a NW‐SE trending Taro‐Lunigiana‐Alpi Apuane composite section, allowed us to illustrate (i) the role of out‐of‐sequence blind thrusting in the basement and (ii) the presence of low‐angle normal faulting and its relationships with recent to active high‐angle normal faulting. Both extensional and contractional systems have relevant implications for the tectonics of the northern Apennines as well as the seismotectonics of the studied region.
Key Points
We present 3‐D frame for surface and subsurface structures of the North‐West Apennines
We supply a more precise definition of the deep Apenninic tectonic structures focusing on the role of basement units and their characterization
We emphasize the role of blind basement thrusts, the architecture of LANF systems, and overprint relationships with recent‐to‐active HANFs
Co-digestion of organic waste is a technology always more frequently applied for simultaneous treatments of several solid and liquid organic wastes. In a co-digestion process the content of ...nutrients, as well as the negative effects of toxic compounds, can be balanced, increasing the gas yield.
Moreover, co-digestion may contribute to a more efficient use of anaerobic digestion (AD) reactors and cost-sharing by processing multiple waste streams in a single facility.
The aim of this study is to investigate the biogas production from mixture of Poultry Manure (PM) and Cheese Whey Wastewater (CWW). Batch experiments were performed under mesophilic conditions (37oC) at a pH from 6,5 to 7,5. The methanogenic reactor was operated at hydraulic retention time (HRT) 35 d.
The trend of volatile solids (VS) have been verified.
This review presents recent information about the cross-talk between the tumor cells and the microenvironment in the target organ of metastasis at the premetastatic and metastatic stage. The ...development of metastatic foci is driven not only by the tumor cells intrinsic properties, but also by the interplay with resident and foreign cells located at particular niches in the target organ. The primary tumor modulates the metastatic target through the production of soluble factors that mobilize cells from distant organs like the bone marrow, which in turn localize in the metastatic niche. There is also strong evidence indicating that some primary tumors induce a fertile ground for the tumor cell at the target organ even before the arrival of the disseminated tumor cell (premetastatic niche). The relationship between the players of the metastatic setting is dynamic and shows a high degree of plasticity. Tumor cells change through the acquisition of genetic and/or epigenetic alterations that provide adaptive advantages and the metastatic niche is remodeled by incoming cell types or newly secreted soluble mediators, as a result a reciprocal dialogue is established that invokes new levels of molecular and cellular complexity. Unraveling the mechanisms that sustain the metastatic niche will allow a better understanding of the biology of the disseminated tumor cell, the design of new therapeutic approaches and, hopefully, the improvement of cancer patients' survival.
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