CoMo/Ti-SBA-15 catalysts for dibenzothiophene desulfurization

With a view to reducing the sulfur content in diesel fuels, novel desulfurization CoMo catalysts were supported on a Ti-loaded hexagonal mesoporous SBA-15 material. The Ti-SBA-15 substrates were synthesized using triblock copolymers as structure-directing agents. Catalytic activity was assessed in the model reaction of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT), carried out in a batch reactor at T = 623 K and with a total hydrogen pressure of 3.1 MPa. The reaction proceeds via the direct desulfurization route (main route) and the hydrogenation (HYD) pathway. The incorporation of Ti into the SBA-15 afforded catalysts that were more active than the Ti-free counterpart, due to the enhancement of the DDS route in this reaction. This difference was explained in terms of a larger number of coordinately unsaturated sites (CUS) of the metal sulfide on Ti-loaded catalysts. Under steady-state conditions, the CoMoST20 catalyst with a Si/Ti ratio of 20 was the most active among the catalysts studied. Since this catalyst exhibited both Ti⁴⁺ ions incorporated into the SBA-15 framework and separate anatase TiO₂ clusters located on its surface, the activity enhancement on this sample was explained by the larger intrinsic activity of the “Co–Mo–S” phase located on these TiO₂ nanoparticles. The Ti-SBA-15 supports and the CoMo/Ti-SBA-15 catalysts were studied by N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms, XRD, TEM, FTIR of adsorbed pyridine and NO, UV–vis DRS, TPR, micro-Raman and XPS spectroscopy.     

Hybrid Photonic Nanostructures by In Vivo Incorporation of an Organic Fluorophore into Diatom Algae

Biotechnological processes harnessing living organisms' metabolism are low‐cost routes to nanostructured materials for applications in photonics, electronics, and nanomedicine. In the pursuit of photonic biohybrids, diatoms microalgae are attractive given the properties of the porous micro‐to‐nanoscale structures of the biosilica shells (frustules) they produce. The investigations have focused on in vivo incorporation of tailored molecular fluorophores into the frustules of Thalassiosira weissflogii diatoms, using a procedure that paves the way for easy biotechnological production of photonic nanostructures. The procedure ensures uniform staining of shells in the treated culture and permits the resulting biohybrid photonic nanostructures to be isolated with no damage to the dye and periodic biosilica network. Significantly, this approach ensures that light emission from the dye embedded in the isolated biohybrid silica is modulated by the silica's nanostructure, whereas no modulation of photoluminescence is observed upon grafting the fluorophore onto frustules by an in vitro approach based on surface chemistry. These results pave the way to the possibility of easy production of photonic nanostructures with tunable properties by simple feeding the diatoms algae with tailored photoactive molecules.     

Exploring residential satisfaction in shrinking cities: a decision-tree approach

The number of cities experiencing population decline has been increasing worldwide. Despite the existence of theoretical propositions of shrinkage as an opportunity to increase levels of residential satisfaction, the issue has not been addressed empirically. This article contributes to fill this gap by assessing, through survey, the residential satisfaction of inhabitants of four shrinking Portuguese cities.

Data were analysed by means of a tree-decision approach: the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection analysis. A sense of safety is the feature that best discriminates inhabitants’ level of residential satisfaction. The results show that shrinkage due to deindustrialisation processes is detrimental to residential satisfaction.     

Direct analytical procedure for determination of volatile organic acids in raw municipal wastewater

A direct analytical method for identification and determination of the individual volatile acids in raw sewage was developed. The proposed procedure is rapid, omitting tedious sample pretreatment and thus avoiding possible losses involved in steam distillation, evaporation or extraction. It consists of direct injection of raw sewage into a gas chromatograph, including Carbowax 20 M on acid washed Chromosorb W column and a flame ionization detector. Sample preparation is confined to addition of solid metaphosphoric acid to the raw sewage, and removal of precipitated proteins and suspended solids by centrifugation.The direct injection method proved to be practicable, accurate and rapid. Volatile acids content in raw municipal sewage in Haifa, Israel, was found to be in the range of 150–160 mg l⁻¹, of which 120–125 mg l⁻¹ was acetic acid, 30–33 mg l⁻¹ propionic acid, 6–8 mg l⁻¹ butyric acid, 2 mg l⁻¹ isovaleric acid, and 0.5–1 mg l⁻¹ valeric acid.     

Preliminary evaluations of the undesirable patient dose from a BNCT treatment at the ENEA-TAPIRO reactor

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is an experimental technique for the treatment of certain kinds of tumors. Research in BNCT is performed utilizing both thermal and epithermal neutron beams. Epithermal neutrons (0.4 eV-10 keV) penetrate more deeply into tissue and are thus used in non-superficial clinical applications such as the brain glioma. In the last few years, the fast reactor TAPIRO (ENEA-Casaccia Rome) has been employed as a neutron source for research into BNCT applications. Recently, an 'epithermal therapeutic column' has been designed and its construction has been completed. The Monte Carlo code MCNPX was employed to optimize the design of the column and to evaluate the dose profiles and the therapeutic parameters in the cranium of the anthropomorphic phantom ADAM. In the same context, some preliminary evaluations of the undesirable doses to the patient were performed with MCNPX. A hermaphrodite phantom derived from ADAM and EVA was employed to evaluate the energy deposition in some organs during a standard BNCT treatment. The total dose consists of the contributions from the primary neutron beam, the neutron interactions with boron and the neutron induced photons generated in the epithermal column structures and in the patient's tissues. The paper summarizes the computational procedure and provides a general dosimetric framework of the patient radiological protection aspects related to a BNCT treatment scenario at the TAPIRO reactor.     

Evaluation of culture media for enumeration of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium animalis in the presence of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus

The study compared the growth capability of probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus La05, Lactobacillus casei Lc01 and Bifidobacterium animalis Bb12) and non-probiotic (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) cultures on twenty-one culture media grouped according to selectivity: non-selective agars, selective agars without antibiotics and MRS agars containing different combinations of lithium chloride, cystein, bile salts and antibiotics. Four of these media were selected for quantitative enumeration of L. acidophilus La05, L. casei Lc01, and B. animalis Bb12. The best culture media and incubation conditions for enumeration of the probiotic cultures were: B. animalis: MRS agar with dicloxacillin, 37 °C or 42 °C, anaerobiosis; L. acidophilus: MRS agar with bile salts, 37 °C or 42 °C, aerobiosis; L. casei: MRS agar with lithium chloride and sodium propionate, 37 °C or 42 °C, aerobiosis or anaerobiosis. Plating on MRS with glucose replaced by maltose, 37 °C or 42 °C, anaerobiosis, will distinguish probiotic from non-probiotic cultures. For enumeration of each probiotic in a mixed culture, the following media and incubation conditions were recommended: B. animalis: 4ABC-MRS, 42 °C, anaerobiosis, L. acidophilus: LC medium, 42 °C, aerobiosis or anaerobiosis and L. casei: LP-MRS, 42 °C, aerobiosis or anaerobiosis. In all experiments, differences in counts using pour plating or surface plating were not significant (P ≤ 0.05).     

Cd1−xZnxS solid solutions supported on ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-15): Structural features and photocatalytic activity under visible light

A series of Cd_1−xZn_xS (x = 0.05–0.3) photocatalysts supported on ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-15) were prepared and investigated for hydrogen production from water splitting under visible light. Textural, structural and surface photocatalyst properties are determined by N₂ adsorption isotherms, UV–vis, Raman and XPS and related to the activity results in hydrogen production. Raman and XRD results indicated a mutual interaction between Cd and Zn, forming nanoparticles of Cd_1−xZn_xS solid solutions. All Cd_1−xZn_xS/SBA-15 samples showed relatively high activities for hydrogen evolution. The hydrogen production rate is found to increase gradually when the zinc concentration on photocatalysts increases from 0.05 to 0.2, achieving a maximum for the photocatalyst with zinc concentration equal to 0.2. Variation in photoactivity is discussed in terms of modification in the conduction band and light absorption ability of Cd_1−xZn_xS particles derived from the changes in the Zn concentration in the Cd_1−xZn_xS solid solution.     

Sex-specific association between psychopathic traits and electrodermal reactivity in children.

This study investigated the relationship of skin conductance response (SCR) to a child psychopathy measure. Blunted electrodermal activity is a theoretically important characteristic of psychopathy, but it has not been fully explored in preadolescents or females. The authors tested the hypothesis that reduced SCR magnitude is associated with psychopathic-like traits in boys and girls. Participants were drawn from an ethnically diverse community sample of 9- to 10-year-old twins. Given the fact that members of each twin pair were rated by the same individual (i.e., their caregiver) on the Child Psychopathy Scale, the authors examined individual differences at the within-family level. Skin conductance data were collected during a passive auditory task consisting of 75-dB tones as well as miscellaneous sounds (e.g., baby cries, bird noises, and speech-like stimuli). Reduced SCR magnitude (hyporeactivity) was characteristic only of boys with higher psychopathy scores. More specifically, electrodermal hyporeactivity was linked to the interpersonal facet of psychopathy, suggesting that it is a biological marker of a manipulative and deceitful orientation in males. No association was found between SCRs and psychopathic traits in girls, indicating the importance of sex specific etiologies of psychopathy in childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Energy‐dependent effects of resveratrol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The metabolic effects induced by resveratrol have been associated mainly with the consumption of high‐calorie diets; however, its effects with standard or low‐calorie diets remain unclear. To better understand the interactions between resveratrol and cellular energy levels, we used Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model. Herein it is shown that resveratrol: (a) decreased cell viability in an energy‐dependent manner; (b) lessening of cell viability occurred specifically when cells were under cellular respiration; and (c) inhibition of oxygen consumption in state 4 occurred at low and standard energy levels, whereas at high energy levels oxygen consumption was promoted. These findings indicate that the effects of resveratrol are dependent on the cellular energy status and linked to metabolic respiration. Importantly, our study also revealed that S. cerevisiae is a suitable and useful model to elucidate the molecular targets of resveratrol under different nutritional statuses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Local Therapies and Modulation of Tumor Surrounding Stroma in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Translational Approach

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm of the pleural mesothelium, mainly associated with asbestos exposure and still lacking effective therapies. Modern targeted biological strategies that have revolutionized the therapy of other solid tumors have not had success so far in the MPM. Combination immunotherapy might achieve better results over chemotherapy alone, but there is still a need for more effective therapeutic approaches. Based on the peculiar disease features of MPM, several strategies for local therapeutic delivery have been developed over the past years. The common rationale of these approaches is: (i) to reduce the risk of drug inactivation before reaching the target tumor cells; (ii) to increase the concentration of active drugs in the tumor micro-environment and their bioavailability; (iii) to reduce toxic effects on normal, non-transformed cells, because of much lower drug doses than those used for systemic chemotherapy. The complex interactions between drugs and the local immune-inflammatory micro-environment modulate the subsequent clinical response. In this perspective, the main interest is currently addressed to the development of local drug delivery platforms, both cell therapy and engineered nanotools. We here propose a review aimed at deep investigation of the biologic effects of the current local therapies for MPM, including cell therapies, and the mechanisms of interaction with the tumor micro-environment.