Self‐Cleaning and Antibacteric Ceramic Tile Surface

The aim of this investigation was the surface functionalization of industrial ceramic tiles by sol‐gel technique to improve at the same time the cleanability and the antibacterial activity of surfaces. This objective was pursued through the design and preparation of nanostructured titania‐silver coating that was deposited on glazed, unglazed, and polished tiles by air‐brushing. The obtained results showed that the applied coatings are transparent, show a good adhesion, and a remarkable antibacterial activity under the tested conditions. The surface photocatalicity was optimized with the higher thermal treatments (200°C) even if photodegradation process is clearly affected by the sample surface roughness.     

Historiography of Czech psychology.

The paper is aimed at presenting the development of the Czech historiography of psychology, which was strongly influenced by the political changes in Central and Eastern Europe. The authors deal with the historiography of psychology at the three universities offering an undergraduate program in psychology, located in Prague, Brno, and Olomouc, and at the Institute of Psychology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Recent research, teaching, textbooks, and journal articles published in Czech and in foreign languages are showcased. The historiography of Czech psychotherapy is mentioned as a special thematic development. Contemporary problems and perspectives in the field of the history of psychology in the Czech Republic are discussed, sources of information are given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Simulation Study of CO2 Sequestration in the Arno River Plain (Tuscany,Italy)

We present a geochemical model for the sequestration of anthropogenic CO₂ (from hypothetical hydrocarbon-based H₂ production) consequent to the theoretical injection of gas beneath the River Arno plain, near the city of Pisa, Italy. The potential reservoirs for gas disposal are of two different types: dolostones or sandstones. The model predicts the sandstones to be the best reservoirs because CO₂ sequestration in these rocks can occur via the deposition of solid carbonates. On the contrary, the injection of gas into the dolostone could generate gas accumulation and high gas pressures (50–100 atm) that could possibly promote rock fracturing and gas leakage in these shallow (500–1000 m depth) reservoirs. The best sites for gas disposal are therefore located west of the town of Pisa, along the coastal plain.     

The HEPD particle detector of the CSES satellite mission for investigating seismo-associated perturbations of the Van Allen belts

CSES(China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite) is a mission developed by CNSA(Chinese National Space Administration) and ASI(Italian Space Agency), to investigate the near-Earth electromagnetic, plasma and particle environment, for studying the seismo-associated disturbances in the ionosphere-magnetosphere transition zone. The anthropogenic and electromagnetic noise,as well as the natural non-seismic electromagnetic emissions is mainly due to tropospheric activity. In particular, the mission aims to confirming the existence of possible temporal correlations between the occurrence of earthquakes for medium and strong magnitude and the observation in space of electromagnetic perturbations, plasma variations and precipitation of bursts with highenergy charged particles from the inner Van Allen belt. In this framework, the high energy particle detector(HEPD) of the CSES mission has been developed by the Italian LIMADOU Collaboration. HEPD is an advanced detector based on a tower of scintillators and a silicon tracker that provides good energy and angular resolution and a wide angular acceptance, for electrons of 3–100 Me V, protons of 30–200 Me V and light nuclei up to the oxygen. CSES satellite has been launched on February 2~(nd), 2018 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center(China).     

Monitoring the stability of nanosized silica dispersions in presence of polycations by a novel centrifugal sedimentation method

The stability of Aerosil‐silica dispersions is analyzed in dependence on the addition of polycations with different charge density and hydrophobic modification using the analytical centrifuge LUMiSizer. This novel centrifugal sedimentation method allows the direct calculation of the stability parameters like sedimentation velocity and prediction of the shelf life. The highly charged polycation poly (diallyl‐dimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) is compared with tailored cationic polyelectrolytes of equal degree of polymerization but lower and different charge density as well as various hydrophobic substitutions. The used technique allows to accelerate demixing and to quantify the stability of dispersions in a direct way. All polymers under study are able to stabilize aerosil dispersions, but the shelf life strongly depends on the polymer concentration. Typically for polycations, the stability increases with the polymer concentration whereas at low‐polymer content flocculation can be detected. In this context, the behavior of PDADMAC and three cationic PVB derivatives is similar, but, whereas the stability of PDADMAC containing dispersions decreases at higher polymer concentrations, PVB derivatives are effective stabilizers at higher concentrations too. The highest increase of the stability with increasing polymer concentration is obtained with the ampholytic terpolymer TP that has the lowest cationic charge. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Oxetanyl-functionalized 9-aryl[3,3′]bicarbazolyl derivatives as building blocks for electro-active polymers

9-Aryl[3,3′]bicarbazolyl derivatives containing reactive functional groups were synthesized by the multi-step synthetic rout. The monomers were examined by various techniques including thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, UV and fluorescence spectrometry as well as electron photoemission and time of flight techniques. The electron photoemission spectra of the layers showed the ionisation potentials of 5.2–5.5 eV. Time-of-flight hole drift mobilities in amorphous layers of bisphenol Z polycarbonate containing 50 wt. % of the electroactive materials exceed 10⁻⁵ cm²/Vs at high electric fields.     

Traffic pollution affects tree-ring width and isotopic composition of Pinus pinea

This study presents new evidence that radiocarbon, combined with dendrochronological and stable isotopes analysis in tree rings and needles, can help to better understand the influence of pollution on trees. Pinus pinea individuals, adjacent to main roads in the urban area of Caserta (South Italy) and exposed to large amounts of traffic exhaust since 1980, were sampled and the time-related trend in the growth residuals was estimated. We found a consistent decrease in the ring width starting from 1980, with a slight increase in δ¹³C value, which was considered to be a consequence of environmental stress. No clear pattern was identified in δ¹⁵N, while an increasing effect of the fossil fuel dilution on the atmospheric bomb-enriched ¹⁴C background was detected in tree rings, possibly as a consequence of the increase in traffic exhausts. Our findings suggested that radiocarbon is a very sensitive tool to investigate small-scale (i.e. traffic exhaust at the level crossing) and large-scale (urban area pollution) induced disturbances.     

Optimization of synthesis parameters in interfacial polycondensation using design of experiments

The reaction of phenylphosphonic dichloride with 4,4′-cyclohexylidenebisphenol by a gas–liquid interfacial polycondensation was investigated. The design of experiments (DoE) method is used for determination of the best reaction conditions. The correlation of simultaneous influence of the parameters (reaction time, reaction temperature, alkaline medium, reagents molar ratio) on yield and inherent viscosity was studied.     

Cancer Cell Metabolism in Hypoxia: Role of HIF-1 as Key Regulator and Therapeutic Target

In order to meet the high energy demand, a metabolic reprogramming occurs in cancer cells. Its role is crucial in promoting tumor survival. Among the substrates in demand, oxygen is fundamental for bioenergetics. Nevertheless, tumor microenvironment is frequently characterized by low-oxygen conditions. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a pivotal modulator of the metabolic reprogramming which takes place in hypoxic cancer cells. In the hub of cellular bioenergetics, mitochondria are key players in regulating cellular energy. Therefore, a close crosstalk between mitochondria and HIF-1 underlies the metabolic and functional changes of cancer cells. Noteworthy, HIF-1 represents a promising target for novel cancer therapeutics. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying the interplay between HIF-1 and energetic metabolism, with a focus on mitochondria, of hypoxic cancer cells.