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Pither MD, Andretta E, Rocca G, Balzarini F, Matamoros-Recio A, Colicchio R, Salvatore P, van Kooyk Y, Silipo A, Granucci F, Martin-Santamaria S, Chiodo F, Molinaro A, Di Lorenzo F. Deciphering the Chemical Language of the Immunomodulatory Properties of Veillonella parvula Lipopolysaccharide. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202401541. [PMID: 38393988 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202401541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Veillonella parvula, prototypical member of the oral and gut microbiota, is at times commensal yet also potentially pathogenic. The definition of the molecular basis tailoring this contrasting behavior is key for broadening our understanding of the microbiota-driven pathogenic and/or tolerogenic mechanisms that take place within our body. In this study, we focused on the chemistry of the main constituent of the outer membrane of V. parvula, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS molecules indeed elicit pro-inflammatory and immunomodulatory responses depending on their chemical structures. Herein we report the structural elucidation of the LPS from two strains of V. parvula and show important and unprecedented differences in both the lipid and carbohydrate moieties, including the identification of a novel galactofuranose and mannitol-containing O-antigen repeating unit for one of the two strains. Furthermore, by harnessing computational studies, in vitro human cell models, as well as lectin binding solid-phase assays, we discovered that the two chemically diverse LPS immunologically behave differently and have attempted to identify the molecular determinant(s) governing this phenomenon. Whereas pro-inflammatory potential has been evidenced for the lipid A moiety, by contrast a plausible "immune modulating" action has been proposed for the peculiar O-antigen portion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Dorothy Pither
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Cinthia, 4, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Andretta
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Cinthia, 4, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Rocca
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Balzarini
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alejandra Matamoros-Recio
- Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CIB-CSIC, C/ Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberta Colicchio
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini, 5, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Salvatore
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini, 5, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Yvette van Kooyk
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alba Silipo
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Cinthia, 4, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Granucci
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - Sonsoles Martin-Santamaria
- Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CIB-CSIC, C/ Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fabrizio Chiodo
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council (CNR), Via Campi Flegrei, 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Molinaro
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Cinthia, 4, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Flaviana Di Lorenzo
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Cinthia, 4, 80126, Naples, Italy
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Vincenti G, Molinaro L, Sajjadi SMS, Moradi H, Pagani L, Fabbri PF. Female biased adult sex ratio in the Bronze Age cemetery of Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran) as an indicator of long distance trade and matrilocality. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024; 183:e24911. [PMID: 38348756 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This paper starts from the unusual observation of the overrepresentation of females among adults in the cemetery of Bronze Age Shahr-i Sokhta (Seistan, Iran) and explores the post marital residence pattern. By integrating taphonomical (skeletal preservation), anthropological (sex ratio [SR], sexual dimorphism, stress indicators, age at death), archeological (long distance trade indicators, habitation floor area, social role of women), and ancient DNA (heterozygosity levels in X chromosomes) data we test the hypothesis of post marital matrilocality in the site. METHODS We computed the SR (pelvis-based sex determination) in a random unpublished adult sample from the cemetery of Shahr-i Sokhta and in two samples previously published by other authors. We used comparative data on SR from: a large Supra Regional multi-chronological sample of sites, n = 47, with 8808 adult sexed individuals, from Southern Europe, Egypt, Middle East, Southern Russia; a Regional Bronze Age sample of sites (n = 10) from Bactria Margiana and Indus Valley with 1324 adult sexed individuals. We estimated the heterozygosity levels in X chromosomes compared with the rest of the autosomes on the assumption that in a matrilocal society females should show lower variability than men. RESULTS Adult SR in a sample (n = 549) from Shahr-i Sokhta is 70.5, the overrepresentation of females is shared with Regional Bronze Age sites from Bactria Margiana (SR = 72.09) and Indus Valley (SR = 67.54). On the contrary, in a larger Supra Regional multi-chronological sample of sites, mean SR ranges between 112.7 (Bronze Age) and 163.1 (Middle Ages). Taphonomical and anthropological indicators do not explain the overrepresentation of female skeletons. Archeological indicators suggest a high social status of women and that the society was devoted to long range trade activities. heterozygosity levels in X chromosomes are in agreement with a matrilocal society. CONCLUSIONS Indicators suggest that Bronze Age Shahr-ì Sokhta was a matrilocal society and that long distance trade was an important economic factor producing an overrepresentation of adult female skeletons in the cemetery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Vincenti
- MAIPS, Multidisciplinary Archaeological Italian Project at Shahr-i Sokhta - Dipartimento Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Antropologia Fisica, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Ludovica Molinaro
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | - Luca Pagani
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Pier Francesco Fabbri
- MAIPS, Multidisciplinary Archaeological Italian Project at Shahr-i Sokhta, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
- Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria, Firenze, Italy
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Rashid A, Roatta S. Hemodynamic changes in the temporalis and masseter muscles during acute stress in healthy humans. Eur J Appl Physiol 2024; 124:1217-1226. [PMID: 37973651 PMCID: PMC10954966 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-023-05349-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Autonomic control of orofacial areas is an integral part of the stress response, controlling functions such as pupil dilatation, salivation, and skin blood flow. However, the specific control of blood flow in head muscles during stress is unknown. This study aims to investigate the hemodynamic response of temporalis and masseter muscles in response to five different stressors. METHODS Sixteen healthy individuals were subjected to a randomized series of stressors, including cold pressor test, mental arithmetic test, apnea, isometric handgrip, and post-handgrip muscle ischemia, while in the sitting posture. Finger-pulse photoplethysmography was used to measure arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output. Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to measure changes in tissue oxygenation and hemoglobin indices from the temporalis and masseter muscles. RESULTS All stressors effectively and significantly increased arterial blood pressure. Tissue oxygenation index significantly increased in both investigated head muscles during mental arithmetic test (temporalis: 4.22 ± 3.52%; masseter: 3.43 ± 3.63%) and isometric handgrip (temporalis: 3.45 ± 3.09%; masseter: 3.26 ± 3.07%), suggesting increased muscle blood flow. Neither the masseter nor the temporalis muscles evidenced a vasoconstrictive response to any of the stressors tested. CONCLUSION In the different conditions, temporalis and masseter muscles exhibited similar hemodynamic patterns of response, which do not include the marked vasoconstriction generally observed in limb muscles. The peculiar sympathetic control of head muscles is possibly related to the involvement of these muscles in aggressive/defensive reactions and/or to their unfavorable position with regard to hydrostatic blood levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anas Rashid
- Lab of Integrative Physiology, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvestro Roatta
- Lab of Integrative Physiology, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy.
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Briatico G, Bocherens H, Geraads D, Melis RT, Mussi M. The Pleistocene high-elevation environments between 2.02 and 0.6 Ma at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia) based upon stable isotope analysis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6619. [PMID: 38503829 PMCID: PMC10950861 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56768-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Pleistocene environments are among the most studied issues in paleoecology and human evolution research in eastern Africa. Many data have been recorded from archaeological sites located at low and medium elevations (≤ 1500 m), whereas few contexts are known at 2000 m and above. Here, we present a substantial isotopic study from Melka Kunture, a complex of prehistoric sites located at 2000-2200 m above sea level in the central Ethiopian highlands. We analyzed the stable carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of 308 faunal tooth enamel samples from sites dated between 2.02 and 0.6 Ma to investigate the animal diets and habitats. The carbon isotopic results indicate that the analyzed taxa had C4-dominated and mixed C3-C4 diets with no significant diachronic changes in feeding behavior with time. This is consistent with faunal and phytolith analyses, which suggested environments characterized by open grasslands (with both C3 and C4 grasses), patches of bushes and thickets, and aquatic vegetation. However, palynological data previously documented mountain forests, woodlands, and high-elevation grasslands. Additionally, the carbon isotopic comparison with other eastern African localities shows that differences in elevation did not influence animal feeding strategies and habitat partitioning, even though plant species vary according to altitudinal gradients. In contrast, the oxygen isotopic comparison suggests significant differences consistent with the altitude effect. Our approach allows us to detect diverse aspects of animal behavior, habitat, and vegetation that should be considered when reconstructing past environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Briatico
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Dell'Antichità, Sapienza Università Di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
- Italo-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia.
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Sigwartstrasse 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Denis Geraads
- CR2P, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, CP 38, 8 Rue Buffon, 75231, Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Rita T Melis
- Italo-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Chimiche E Geologiche, Università Di Cagliari, 09042, Cittadella Di Monserrato, Italy
- CNR-IGAG, Piazzale Aldo Moro 7, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Margherita Mussi
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Dell'Antichità, Sapienza Università Di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Italo-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia
- ISMEO, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 244, 00186, Rome, Italy
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Berini F, Montali A, Liguori R, Venturini G, Bonelli M, Shaltiel-Harpaz L, Reguzzoni M, Siti M, Marinelli F, Casartelli M, Tettamanti G. Production and characterization of Trichoderma asperellum chitinases and their use in synergy with Bacillus thuringiensis for lepidopteran control. Pest Manag Sci 2024. [PMID: 38407453 DOI: 10.1002/ps.8045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite their known negative effects on ecosystems and human health, synthetic pesticides are still largely used to control crop insect pests. Currently, the biopesticide market for insect biocontrol mainly relies on the entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). New biocontrol tools for crop protection might derive from fungi, in particular from Trichoderma spp., which are known producers of chitinases and other bioactive compounds able to negatively affect insect survival. RESULTS In this study, we first developed an environmentally sustainable production process for obtaining chitinases from Trichoderma asperellum ICC012. Then, we investigated the biological effects of this chitinase preparation - alone or in combination with a Bt-based product - when orally administered to two lepidopteran species. Our results demonstrate that T. asperellum efficiently produces a multi-enzymatic cocktail able to alter the chitin microfibril network of the insect peritrophic matrix, resulting in delayed development and larval death. The co-administration of T. asperellum chitinases and sublethal concentrations of Bt toxins increased larval mortality. This synergistic effect was likely due to the higher amount of Bt toxins that passed the damaged peritrophic matrix and reached the target receptors on the midgut cells of chitinase-treated insects. CONCLUSION Our findings may contribute to the development of an integrated pest management technology based on fungal chitinases that increase the efficacy of Bt-based products, mitigating the risk of Bt-resistance development. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Berini
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
- Interuniversity Centre for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology (BAT Centre), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Aurora Montali
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Riccardo Liguori
- Isagro Research Centre affiliated to Gowan Crop Protection Ltd, Novara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Venturini
- Isagro Research Centre affiliated to Gowan Crop Protection Ltd, Novara, Italy
| | - Marco Bonelli
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Liora Shaltiel-Harpaz
- Integrated Pest Management Laboratory Northern R&D, MIGAL - Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
- Environmental Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Tel Hai College, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
| | - Marcella Reguzzoni
- Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Moran Siti
- Luxembourg Industries Ltd, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Flavia Marinelli
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
- Interuniversity Centre for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology (BAT Centre), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Morena Casartelli
- Interuniversity Centre for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology (BAT Centre), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianluca Tettamanti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
- Interuniversity Centre for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology (BAT Centre), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
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6
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Valentino V, Magliulo R, Farsi D, Cotter PD, O'Sullivan O, Ercolini D, De Filippis F. Fermented foods, their microbiome and its potential in boosting human health. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14428. [PMID: 38393607 PMCID: PMC10886436 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Fermented foods (FFs) are part of the cultural heritage of several populations, and their production dates back 8000 years. Over the last ~150 years, the microbial consortia of many of the most widespread FFs have been characterised, leading in some instances to the standardisation of their production. Nevertheless, limited knowledge exists about the microbial communities of local and traditional FFs and their possible effects on human health. Recent findings suggest they might be a valuable source of novel probiotic strains, enriched in nutrients and highly sustainable for the environment. Despite the increasing number of observational studies and randomised controlled trials, it still remains unclear whether and how regular FF consumption is linked with health outcomes and enrichment of the gut microbiome in health-associated species. This review aims to sum up the knowledge about traditional FFs and their associated microbiomes, outlining the role of fermentation with respect to boosting nutritional profiles and attempting to establish a link between FF consumption and health-beneficial outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Valentino
- Department of Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Naples Federico IIPorticiItaly
| | - Raffaele Magliulo
- Department of Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Naples Federico IIPorticiItaly
- NBFC‐National Biodiversity Future CenterPalermoItaly
| | - Dominic Farsi
- Department of Food BiosciencesTeagasc Food Research CentreMooreparkFermoyIreland
| | - Paul D. Cotter
- Department of Food BiosciencesTeagasc Food Research CentreMooreparkFermoyIreland
- APC Microbiome IrelandNational University of IrelandCorkIreland
- VistaMilk, FermoyCorkIreland
| | - Orla O'Sullivan
- Department of Food BiosciencesTeagasc Food Research CentreMooreparkFermoyIreland
- APC Microbiome IrelandNational University of IrelandCorkIreland
- VistaMilk, FermoyCorkIreland
| | - Danilo Ercolini
- Department of Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Naples Federico IIPorticiItaly
- Task Force on Microbiome StudiesUniversity of Naples Federico IIPorticiItaly
| | - Francesca De Filippis
- Department of Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Naples Federico IIPorticiItaly
- NBFC‐National Biodiversity Future CenterPalermoItaly
- Task Force on Microbiome StudiesUniversity of Naples Federico IIPorticiItaly
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7
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Senapati S, Secchi V, Cova F, Richman M, Villa I, Yehuda R, Shenberger Y, Campione M, Rahimipour S, Monguzzi A. Noninvasive Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease with Scintillating Nanotubes. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2301527. [PMID: 37826854 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202301527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Effective and accessible treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are urgently needed. Soluble Aβ oligomers are identified as neurotoxic species in AD and targeted in antibody-based drug development to mitigate cognitive decline. However, controversy exists concerning their efficacy and safety. In this study, an alternative strategy is proposed to inhibit the formation of Aβ oligomers by selectively oxidizing specific amino acids in the Aβ sequence, thereby preventing its aggregation. Targeted oxidation is achieved using biocompatible and blood-brain barrier-permeable multicomponent nanoscintillators that generate singlet oxygen upon X-ray interaction. Surface-modified scintillators interact selectively with Aβ and, upon X-ray irradiation, inhibit the formation of neurotoxic aggregates both in vitro and in vivo. Feeding transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans expressing human Aβ with the nanoscintillators and subsequent irradiation with soft X-ray reduces Aβ oligomer levels, extends lifespan, and restores memory and behavioral deficits. These findings support the potential of X-ray-based therapy for AD and warrant further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudipta Senapati
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Valeria Secchi
- Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milan, 20125, Italy
| | - Francesca Cova
- Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milan, 20125, Italy
| | - Michal Richman
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Irene Villa
- Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milan, 20125, Italy
| | - Ronen Yehuda
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Yulia Shenberger
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Marcello Campione
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 4, Milan, 20126, Italy
| | - Shai Rahimipour
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Angelo Monguzzi
- Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milan, 20125, Italy
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8
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Bouallegue A, Sabbah M, Di Pierro P, Salamatullah AM, Bourhia M, Ellouz-Chaabouni S. Properties of Active Levan-Bitter Vetch Protein Films for Potential Use in Food Packaging Applications. ACS Omega 2023; 8:42787-42796. [PMID: 38024774 PMCID: PMC10652369 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c05627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
ζ-potential and Z-average were determined on film-forming solutions of bitter vetch-levan-based films prepared at different ratios in the absence and presence of glycerol as a plasticizer. The casting method was used to obtain manageable films. The results revealed that levan increases the elongation at break of bitter vetch protein films and reduces the tensile strength. The optimal result was obtained through the film that was prepared with the ratio of 50% bitter vetch proteins and 50% levan, in terms of mechanical properties. The surfaces of the prepared films appeared to be more compact and smooth. On increasing the glycerol concentration in the bitter vetch protein-levan films, the oxygen and water vapor permeability increased compared to the control (P < 0.05). Based on the overall results, the reinforcement of bitter vetch proteins with levan at a ratio of 1:1 represents optimal film properties in the presence of a low concentration of glycerol. The proposed film is suggested as an innovative packaging system for beef meat to preserve its quality over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Bouallegue
- Laboratory
for the Improvement of Plants and Valorization of Agroressources,
National School of Engineering of Sfax (ENIS), University of Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
| | - Mohammed Sabbah
- Department
of Nutrition and Food Technology, An-Najah
National University, P.O. Box 7 Nablus, Palestine
| | - Prospero Di Pierro
- Department
of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples
“Federico II”, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Ahmad Mohammad Salamatullah
- Department
of Food Science & Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural
Sciences, King Saud University, 11 P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Bourhia
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ibn Zohr University, Laayoune 70000, Morocco
| | - Semia Ellouz-Chaabouni
- Laboratory
for the Improvement of Plants and Valorization of Agroressources,
National School of Engineering of Sfax (ENIS), University of Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
- Common Service
Unit of Bioreactor Coupled with an Ultrafilter, National School of
Engineering, Sfax University, P.O. Box 1173, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
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9
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Bandiera A, Colomina - Alfaro L, Sist P, Gomez d’Ayala G, Zuppardi F, Cerruti P, Catanzano O, Passamonti S, Urbani R. Physicochemical Characterization of a Biomimetic, Elastin-Inspired Polypeptide with Enhanced Thermoresponsive Properties and Improved Cell Adhesion. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:5277-5289. [PMID: 37890135 PMCID: PMC10647011 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Genetic engineering allows fine-tuning and controlling protein properties, thus exploiting the new derivatives to obtain novel materials and systems with improved capacity to actively interact with biological systems. The elastin-like polypeptides are tunable recombinant biopolymers that have proven to be ideal candidates for realizing bioactive interfaces that can interact with biological systems. They are characterized by a thermoresponsive behavior that is strictly related to their peculiar amino acid sequence. We describe here the rational design of a new biopolymer inspired by elastin and the comparison of its physicochemical properties with those of another already characterized member of the same protein class. To assess the cytocompatibility, the behavior of cells of different origins toward these components was evaluated. Our study shows that the biomimetic strategy adopted to design new elastin-based recombinant polypeptides represents a versatile and valuable tool for the development of protein-based materials with improved properties and advanced functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Bandiera
- Department
of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri, 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Laura Colomina - Alfaro
- Department
of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri, 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Paola Sist
- Department
of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri, 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Giovanna Gomez d’Ayala
- Institute
for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Federica Zuppardi
- Institute
for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Pierfrancesco Cerruti
- Institute
for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Ovidio Catanzano
- Institute
for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Sabina Passamonti
- Department
of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri, 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ranieri Urbani
- Department
of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri, 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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10
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Kamogawa K, Santoro A, Cancelliere AM, Shimoda Y, Miyata K, Onda K, Puntoriero F, Campagna S, Tamaki Y, Ishitani O. Correction to "Highly Efficient Supramolecular Photocatalyst for CO 2 Reduction with Eight Carbon-Carbon Bonds between Ru(II) Photosensitizer and Re(I) Catalyst Unit". ACS Catal 2023; 13:14367. [PMID: 37942267 PMCID: PMC10629114 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c04613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c01407.].
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11
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Sambo B, Bonato M, Sperotto A, Torresan S, Furlan E, Lambert JH, Linkov I, Critto A. Framework for multirisk climate scenarios across system receptors with application to the Metropolitan City of Venice. Risk Anal 2023; 43:2241-2261. [PMID: 36690591 DOI: 10.1111/risa.14097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Climate change influences the frequency of extreme events that affect both human and natural systems. It requires systemic climate change adaptation to address the complexity of risks across multiple domains and tackle the uncertainties of future scenarios. This paper introduces a multirisk analysis of climate hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and risk severity, specifically designed to hotspot geographic locations and prioritize system receptors that are affected by climate-related extremes. The analysis is demonstrated for the Metropolitan City of Venice. Representative scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) of climate threats (i.e., storm surges, pluvial flood, heat waves, and drought) are selected and represented by projections of Regional Climate Models for a 30-year period (2021-2050). A sample of results is as follows. First, an increase in the risk is largely due to drought, pluvial flood, and storm surge, depending on the areas of interest, with the overall situation worsening under the RCP8.5 scenario. Second, particular locations have colocated vulnerable receptors at higher risk, concentrated in the urban centers (e.g., housing, railways, roads) and along the coast (e.g., beaches, wetlands, primary sector). Third, risk communication of potential environmental and socio-economic losses via the multirisk maps is useful to stakeholders and public administration. Fourth, the multirisk maps recommend priorities for future investigation and risk management, such as collection of sensor data, elaboration of mitigations, and adaptation plans at hotspot locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Sambo
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University of Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy
- RAAS division, Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Fondazione CMCC), Lecce, Italy
| | - Marta Bonato
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University of Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy
- Department Computational Landscape Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Sperotto
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University of Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy
- Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) Scientific Campus of the University of the Basque Country, Biscay, Spain
| | - Silvia Torresan
- RAAS division, Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Fondazione CMCC), Lecce, Italy
| | - Elisa Furlan
- RAAS division, Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Fondazione CMCC), Lecce, Italy
| | - James H Lambert
- Center for Risk Management of Engineering Systems, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Igor Linkov
- Engineer Research and Development Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Concord, Massachusetts, USA
- Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrea Critto
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University of Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy
- RAAS division, Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Fondazione CMCC), Lecce, Italy
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12
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Paradisi A, Berto M, Di Giosia M, Mazzali S, Borsari M, Marforio TD, Zerbetto F, Calvaresi M, Orieshyna A, Amdursky N, Bortolotti CA, Biscarini F. Robust Biosensor Based on Carbon Nanotubes/Protein Hybrid Electrolyte Gated Transistors. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202301704. [PMID: 37432093 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202301704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Semiconducting single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are promising materials for biosensing applications with electrolyte-gated transistors (EGT). However, to be employed in EGT devices, SWCNTs often require lengthy solution-processing fabrication techniques. Here, we introduce a simple solution-based method that allows fabricating EGT devices from stable dispersions of SWCNTs/bovine serum albumin (BSA) hybrids in water. The dispersion is then deposited on a substrate allowing the formation of a SWCNTs random network as the semiconducting channel. We demonstrate that this methodology allows the fabrication of EGT devices with electric performances that allow their use in biosensing applications. We demonstrate their application for the detection of cortisol in solution, upon gate electrode functionalization with anti-cortisol antibodies. This is a robust and cost-effective methodology that sets the ground for a SWCNT/BSA-based biosensing platform that allows overcoming many limitations of standard SWCNTs biosensor fabrications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Paradisi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Marcello Berto
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Matteo Di Giosia
- Chemistry Department "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Via Francesco Selmi 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sara Mazzali
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Marco Borsari
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Tainah Dorina Marforio
- Chemistry Department "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Via Francesco Selmi 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesco Zerbetto
- Chemistry Department "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Via Francesco Selmi 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Matteo Calvaresi
- Chemistry Department "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Via Francesco Selmi 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Orieshyna
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nadav Amdursky
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
| | - Carlo Augusto Bortolotti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Fabio Biscarini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125, Modena, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Fossato di Mortara 17-19, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
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13
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Lancia G, Durastanti C, Spitoni C, De Benedictis I, Sciortino A, Cirillo ENM, Ledda M, Lisi A, Convertino A, Mussi V. Learning models for classifying Raman spectra of genomic DNA from tumor subtypes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11370. [PMID: 37452161 PMCID: PMC10349119 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37303-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
An early and accurate detection of different subtypes of tumors is crucial for an effective guidance to personalized therapy and in predicting the ability of tumor to metastasize. Here we exploit the Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) platform, based on disordered silver coated silicon nanowires (Ag/SiNWs), to efficiently discriminate genomic DNA of different subtypes of melanoma and colon tumors. The diagnostic information is obtained by performing label free Raman maps of the dried drops of DNA solutions onto the Ag/NWs mat and leveraging the classification ability of learning models to reveal the specific and distinct physico-chemical interaction of tumor DNA molecules with the Ag/NW, here supposed to be partly caused by a different DNA methylation degree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Lancia
- Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 6, 3584 CD, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Claudio Durastanti
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, via A. Scarpa 16, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Cristian Spitoni
- Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 6, 3584 CD, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ilaria De Benedictis
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, via A. Scarpa 16, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Sciortino
- Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, CNR, via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, Rome, Italy
| | - Emilio N M Cirillo
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, via A. Scarpa 16, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Ledda
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, CNR, via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Lisi
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, CNR, via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, Rome, Italy
| | - Annalisa Convertino
- Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, CNR, via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Mussi
- Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, CNR, via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, Rome, Italy
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14
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Miali ME, Chien W, Moore TL, Felici A, Palange AL, Oneto M, Fedosov D, Decuzzi P. Assessing Differential Particle Deformability under Microfluidic Flow Conditions. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:3690-3698. [PMID: 37194468 PMCID: PMC10265569 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Assessing the mechanical behavior of nano- and micron-scale particles with complex shapes is fundamental in drug delivery. Although different techniques are available to quantify the bulk stiffness in static conditions, there is still uncertainty in assessing particle deformability in dynamic conditions. Here, a microfluidic chip is designed, engineered, and validated as a platform to assess the mechanical behavior of fluid-borne particles. Specifically, potassium hydroxide (KOH) wet etching was used to realize a channel incorporating a series of micropillars (filtering modules) with different geometries and openings, acting as microfilters in the direction of the flow. These filtering modules were designed with progressively decreasing openings, ranging in size from about 5 down to 1 μm. Discoidal polymeric nanoconstructs (DPNs), with a diameter of 5.5 μm and a height of 400 nm, were realized with different poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) ratios (PLGA/PEG), namely, 5:1 and 1:0, resulting in soft and rigid particles, respectively. Given the peculiar geometry of DPNs, the channel height was kept to 5 μm to limit particle tumbling or flipping along the flow. After thorough physicochemical and morphological characterization, DPNs were tested within the microfluidic chip to investigate their behavior under flow. As expected, most rigid DPNs were trapped in the first series of pillars, whereas soft DPNs were observed to cross multiple filtering modules and reach the micropillars with the smallest opening (1 μm). This experimental evidence was also supported by computational tools, where DPNs were modeled as a network of springs and beads immersed in a Newtonian fluid using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. This preliminary study presents a combined experimental-computational framework to quantify, compare, and analyze the characteristics of particles having complex geometrical and mechanical attributes under flow conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco E. Miali
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Wei Chien
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
- Institute
of Biological Information Processing, Forschungszentrum
Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Thomas Lee Moore
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessia Felici
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Anna Lisa Palange
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Michele Oneto
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Dmitry Fedosov
- Institute
of Biological Information Processing, Forschungszentrum
Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Paolo Decuzzi
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
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15
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Chowdhury D, Mohamed SA, Manzato G, Siri B, Chittofrati R, Giordano MC, Hussein M, Hameed MFO, Obayya SSA, Stadler P, Scharber MC, Della Valle G, Buatier de Mongeot F. Broadband Photon Harvesting in Organic Photovoltaic Devices Induced by Large-Area Nanogrooved Templates. ACS Appl Nano Mater 2023; 6:6230-6240. [PMID: 37092122 PMCID: PMC10112484 DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.3c00553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Thin-film organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices represent an attractive alternative to conventional silicon solar cells due to their lightweight, flexibility, and low cost. However, the relatively low optical absorption of the OPV active layers still represents an open issue in view of efficient devices that cannot be addressed by adopting conventional light coupling strategies derived from thick PV absorbers. The light coupling to thin-film solar cells can be boosted by nanostructuring the device interfaces at the subwavelength scale. Here, we demonstrate broadband and omnidirectional photon harvesting in thin-film OPV devices enabled by highly ordered one-dimensional (1D) arrays of nanogrooves. Laser interference lithography, in combination with reactive ion etching (RIE), provides the controlled tailoring of the height and periodicity of the silica grooves, enabling effective tuning of the anti-reflection properties in the active organic layer (PTB7:PCBM). With this strategy, we demonstrate a strong enhancement of the optical absorption, as high as 19% with respect to a flat device, over a broadband visible and near-infrared spectrum. The OPV device supported on these optimized nanogrooved substrates yields a 14% increase in short-circuit current over the corresponding flat device, highlighting the potential of this large-scale light-harvesting strategy in the broader context of thin-film technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasree Chowdhury
- Department
of Physics, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Shaimaa A. Mohamed
- Centre
for Photonics and Smart Materials, Zewail
City of Science, Technology and Innovation, October Gardens, 6th of October
City, Giza 12578, Egypt
- Centre
for Nanotechnology, Zewail City of Science,
Technology and Innovation, October Gardens, 6th of October City, Giza 12578, Egypt
- Nanotechnology
and Nanoelectronics Engineering Program, Zewail City of Science, Technology and Innovation, October Gardens, 6th of October
City, Giza 12578, Egypt
- Physical
Chemistry, Linz Institute for Organic Solar
Cell (LIOS), Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstr, 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Giacomo Manzato
- Department
of Physics, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Beatrice Siri
- Department
of Physics, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Roberto Chittofrati
- Department
of Physics, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | | | - Mohamed Hussein
- Centre
for Photonics and Smart Materials, Zewail
City of Science, Technology and Innovation, October Gardens, 6th of October
City, Giza 12578, Egypt
- Department
of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams
University, Abbassia, 11566 Cairo, Egypt
- Light
Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Mohamed F. O. Hameed
- Centre
for Photonics and Smart Materials, Zewail
City of Science, Technology and Innovation, October Gardens, 6th of October
City, Giza 12578, Egypt
- Nanotechnology
and Nanoelectronics Engineering Program, Zewail City of Science, Technology and Innovation, October Gardens, 6th of October
City, Giza 12578, Egypt
- Mathematics
and Engineering Physics Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mansoura, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Salah S. A. Obayya
- Centre
for Photonics and Smart Materials, Zewail
City of Science, Technology and Innovation, October Gardens, 6th of October
City, Giza 12578, Egypt
- Department
of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mansoura, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Philipp Stadler
- Physical
Chemistry, Linz Institute for Organic Solar
Cell (LIOS), Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstr, 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Markus C. Scharber
- Physical
Chemistry, Linz Institute for Organic Solar
Cell (LIOS), Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstr, 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Giuseppe Della Valle
- Dipartimento
di Fisica and IFN-CNR, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32-20133 Milano, Italy
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16
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Castagnola V, Deleye L, Podestà A, Jaho E, Loiacono F, Debellis D, Trevisani M, Ciobanu DZ, Armirotti A, Pisani F, Flahaut E, Vazquez E, Bramini M, Cesca F, Benfenati F. Interactions of Graphene Oxide and Few-Layer Graphene with the Blood-Brain Barrier. Nano Lett 2023; 23:2981-2990. [PMID: 36917703 PMCID: PMC10103300 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Thanks to their biocompatibility and high cargo capability, graphene-based materials (GRMs) might represent an ideal brain delivery system. The capability of GRMs to reach the brain has mainly been investigated in vivo and has highlighted some controversy. Herein, we employed two in vitro BBB models of increasing complexity to investigate the bionano interactions with graphene oxide (GO) and few-layer graphene (FLG): a 2D murine Transwell model, followed by a 3D human multicellular assembloid, to mimic the complexity of the in vivo architecture and intercellular crosstalk. We developed specific methodologies to assess the translocation of GO and FLG in a label-free fashion and a platform applicable to any nanomaterial. Overall, our results show good biocompatibility of the two GRMs, which did not impact the integrity and functionality of the barrier. Sufficiently dispersed subpopulations of GO and FLG were actively uptaken by endothelial cells; however, the translocation was identified as a rare event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Castagnola
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
- IRCCS
Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Lieselot Deleye
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Alice Podestà
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Edra Jaho
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Loiacono
- IRCCS
Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Doriana Debellis
- Electron
Microscopy Facility, Istituto Italiano di
Tecnologia, Via Morego, 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Martina Trevisani
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Experimental Medicine, Università
degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Dinu Zinovie Ciobanu
- Analytical
Chemistry Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea Armirotti
- Analytical
Chemistry Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Francesco Pisani
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari 70121, Italy
| | - Emmanuel Flahaut
- CIRIMAT,
UMR 5085, CNRS-INP-UPS, Université
Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Ester Vazquez
- Instituto
Regional de Investigación Científica Aplicada (IRICA), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Facultad
de Ciencias y Tecnologías Químicas, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avda. Camilo José Cela S/N, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Mattia Bramini
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Cell Biology, Universidad de Granada, C. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Fabrizia Cesca
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabio Benfenati
- Center
for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
- IRCCS
Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genova, Italy
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17
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Galli M, Zardini A, Gamshie WN, Santini S, Tsegaye A, Trentini F, Marziano V, Guzzetta G, Manica M, d'Andrea V, Putoto G, Manenti F, Ajelli M, Poletti P, Merler S. Priority age targets for COVID-19 vaccination in Ethiopia under limited vaccine supply. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5586. [PMID: 37019980 PMCID: PMC10075159 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32501-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The worldwide inequitable access to vaccination claims for a re-assessment of policies that could minimize the COVID-19 burden in low-income countries. Nine months after the launch of the national vaccination program in March 2021, only 3.4% of the Ethiopian population received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. We used a SARS-CoV-2 transmission model to estimate the level of immunity accrued before the launch of vaccination in the Southwest Shewa Zone (SWSZ) and to evaluate the impact of alternative age priority vaccination targets in a context of limited vaccine supply. The model was informed with available epidemiological evidence and detailed contact data collected across different geographical settings (urban, rural, or remote). We found that, during the first year of the pandemic, the mean proportion of critical cases occurred in SWSZ attributable to infectors under 30 years of age would range between 24.9 and 48.0%, depending on the geographical setting. During the Delta wave, the contribution of this age group in causing critical cases was estimated to increase on average to 66.7-70.6%. Our findings suggest that, when considering the vaccine product available at the time (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19; 65% efficacy against infection after 2 doses), prioritizing the elderly for vaccination remained the best strategy to minimize the disease burden caused by Delta, irrespectively of the number of available doses. Vaccination of all individuals aged ≥ 50 years would have averted 40 (95%PI: 18-60), 90 (95%PI: 61-111), and 62 (95%PI: 21-108) critical cases per 100,000 residents in urban, rural, and remote areas, respectively. Vaccination of all individuals aged ≥ 30 years would have averted an average of 86-152 critical cases per 100,000 individuals, depending on the setting considered. Despite infections among children and young adults likely caused 70% of critical cases during the Delta wave in SWSZ, most vulnerable ages should remain a key priority target for vaccination against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Galli
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
- Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Agnese Zardini
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Filippo Trentini
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
- Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Giorgio Guzzetta
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
- Epilab-JRU, FEM-FBK Joint Research Unit, Trento, Italy
| | - Mattia Manica
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
- Epilab-JRU, FEM-FBK Joint Research Unit, Trento, Italy
| | - Valeria d'Andrea
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | - Marco Ajelli
- Laboratory for Computational Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Piero Poletti
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy.
- Epilab-JRU, FEM-FBK Joint Research Unit, Trento, Italy.
| | - Stefano Merler
- Center for Health Emergencies, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
- Epilab-JRU, FEM-FBK Joint Research Unit, Trento, Italy
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18
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Onesto V, Forciniti S, Alemanno F, Narayanankutty K, Chandra A, Prasad S, Azzariti A, Gigli G, Barra A, De Martino A, De Martino D, del Mercato LL. Probing Single-Cell Fermentation Fluxes and Exchange Networks via pH-Sensing Hybrid Nanofibers. ACS Nano 2023; 17:3313-3323. [PMID: 36573897 PMCID: PMC9979640 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c06114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The homeostatic control of their environment is an essential task of living cells. It has been hypothesized that, when microenvironmental pH inhomogeneities are induced by high cellular metabolic activity, diffusing protons act as signaling molecules, driving the establishment of exchange networks sustained by the cell-to-cell shuttling of overflow products such as lactate. Despite their fundamental role, the extent and dynamics of such networks is largely unknown due to the lack of methods in single-cell flux analysis. In this study, we provide direct experimental characterization of such exchange networks. We devise a method to quantify single-cell fermentation fluxes over time by integrating high-resolution pH microenvironment sensing via ratiometric nanofibers with constraint-based inverse modeling. We apply our method to cell cultures with mixed populations of cancer cells and fibroblasts. We find that the proton trafficking underlying bulk acidification is strongly heterogeneous, with maximal single-cell fluxes exceeding typical values by up to 3 orders of magnitude. In addition, a crossover in time from a networked phase sustained by densely connected "hubs" (corresponding to cells with high activity) to a sparse phase dominated by isolated dipolar motifs (i.e., by pairwise cell-to-cell exchanges) is uncovered, which parallels the time course of bulk acidification. Our method addresses issues ranging from the homeostatic function of proton exchange to the metabolic coupling of cells with different energetic demands, allowing for real-time noninvasive single-cell metabolic flux analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Onesto
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council
(CNR-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni, 73100Lecce, Italy
| | - Stefania Forciniti
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council
(CNR-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni, 73100Lecce, Italy
| | - Francesco Alemanno
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council
(CNR-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni, 73100Lecce, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, University
of Salento, 73100Lecce, Italy
- Istituto
Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Lecce, 73100Lecce, Italy
| | | | - Anil Chandra
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council
(CNR-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni, 73100Lecce, Italy
| | - Saumya Prasad
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council
(CNR-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni, 73100Lecce, Italy
| | - Amalia Azzariti
- IRCCS
Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II, V.le O. Flacco, 65, 70124Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gigli
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council
(CNR-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni, 73100Lecce, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, University
of Salento, 73100Lecce, Italy
| | - Adriano Barra
- Dipartimento
di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, University
of Salento, 73100Lecce, Italy
- Istituto
Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Lecce, 73100Lecce, Italy
| | - Andrea De Martino
- Politecnico
di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, I-10129Torino, Italy
- Italian Institute
for Genomic Medicine, IRCCS Candiolo, SP-142, I-10060Candiolo, Italy
| | - Daniele De Martino
- Biofisika
Institutua (UPV/EHU, CSIC) and Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia, LeioaE-48940, Spain
- Ikerbasque
Foundation, Bilbao48013, Spain
| | - Loretta L. del Mercato
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council
(CNR-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, via Monteroni, 73100Lecce, Italy
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19
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Coriolano A, Polimeno L, Pugliese M, Cannavale A, Trypogeorgos D, Di Renzo A, Ardizzone V, Rizzo A, Ballarini D, Gigli G, Maiorano V, Rosyadi AS, Chuang CA, Ho CH, De Marco L, Sanvitto D, De Giorgi M. Rydberg polaritons in ReS 2 crystals. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eadd8857. [PMID: 36417518 PMCID: PMC9683695 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Rhenium disulfide belongs to group VII transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with attractive properties such as exceptionally high refractive index and remarkable oscillator strength, large in-plane birefringence, and good chemical stability. Unlike most other TMDs, the peculiar optical properties of rhenium disulfide persist from bulk to the monolayer, making this material potentially suitable for applications in optical devices. In this work, we demonstrate with unprecedented clarity the strong coupling between cavity modes and excited states, which results in a strong polariton interaction, showing the interest of these materials as a solid-state counterpart of Rydberg atomic systems. Moreover, we definitively clarify the nature of important spectral features, shedding light on some controversial aspects or incomplete interpretations and demonstrating that their origin is due to the interesting combination of the very high refractive index and the large oscillator strength expressed by these TMDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Coriolano
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, Università del Salento, Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Laura Polimeno
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Marco Pugliese
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, Università del Salento, Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Alessandro Cannavale
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Department of Civil Engineering Sciences and Architecture, Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Anna Di Renzo
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, Università del Salento, Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Ardizzone
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, Università del Salento, Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Aurora Rizzo
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Dario Ballarini
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gigli
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica E. De Giorgi, Università del Salento, Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Maiorano
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Adzilah Shahna Rosyadi
- Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Ching-An Chuang
- Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Hwa Ho
- Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Luisa De Marco
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Daniele Sanvitto
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Milena De Giorgi
- CNR-NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
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20
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Davino S, Callegari D, Pasini D, Thomas M, Nicotera I, Bonizzoni S, Mustarelli P, Quartarone E. Cross-Linked Gel Electrolytes with Self-Healing Functionalities for Smart Lithium Batteries. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:51941-51953. [PMID: 36355595 PMCID: PMC9706498 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c15011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Next-generation Li-ion batteries must guarantee improved durability, quality, reliability, and safety to satisfy the stringent technical requirements of crucial sectors such as e-mobility. One breakthrough strategy to overcome the degradation phenomena affecting the battery performance is the development of advanced materials integrating smart functionalities, such as self-healing units. Herein, we propose a gel electrolyte based on a uniform and highly cross-linked network, hosting a high amount of liquid electrolyte, with multiple advantages: (i) autonomous, fast self-healing, and a promising PF5-scavenging role; (ii) solid-like mechanical stability despite the large fraction of entrapped liquid; and (iii) good Li+ transport. It is shown that such a gel electrolyte has very good conductivity (>1.0 mS cm-1 at 40 °C) with low activation energy (0.25 eV) for the ion transport. The transport properties are easily restored in the case of physical damages, thanks to the outstanding capability of the polymer to intrinsically repair severe cracks or fractures. The good elastic modulus of the cross-linked network, combined with the high fraction of anions immobilized within the polymer backbone, guarantees stable Li electrodeposition, disfavoring the formation of mossy dendrites with the Li metal anode. We demonstrate the electrolyte performance in a full-cell configuration with a LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811) cathode, obtaining good cycling performance and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Davino
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 16, Pavia27100, Italy
| | - D. Callegari
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 16, Pavia27100, Italy
- GISEL—Centro
di Riferimento Nazionale per i Sistemi di Accumulo Elettrochimico
di Energia, INSTM, via G. Giusti 9, Firenze50121, Italy
| | - D. Pasini
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 16, Pavia27100, Italy
| | - M. Thomas
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University
of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, Rende, Cosenza87036, Italy
| | - I. Nicotera
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University
of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, Rende, Cosenza87036, Italy
- GISEL—Centro
di Riferimento Nazionale per i Sistemi di Accumulo Elettrochimico
di Energia, INSTM, via G. Giusti 9, Firenze50121, Italy
| | - S. Bonizzoni
- Department
of Materials Science, University of Milano
Bicocca, Via Cozzi 55, Milano20126, Italy
| | - P. Mustarelli
- Department
of Materials Science, University of Milano
Bicocca, Via Cozzi 55, Milano20126, Italy
- GISEL—Centro
di Riferimento Nazionale per i Sistemi di Accumulo Elettrochimico
di Energia, INSTM, via G. Giusti 9, Firenze50121, Italy
| | - E. Quartarone
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 16, Pavia27100, Italy
- GISEL—Centro
di Riferimento Nazionale per i Sistemi di Accumulo Elettrochimico
di Energia, INSTM, via G. Giusti 9, Firenze50121, Italy
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21
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Mezzomo L, Lorenzi R, Mauri M, Simonutti R, D’Arienzo M, Wi TU, Ko S, Lee HW, Poggini L, Caneschi A, Mustarelli P, Ruffo R. Unveiling the Role of PEO-Capped TiO 2 Nanofiller in Stabilizing the Anode Interface in Lithium Metal Batteries. Nano Lett 2022; 22:8509-8518. [PMID: 36315593 PMCID: PMC9650764 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c02973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) will be a breakthrough in automotive applications, but they require the development of next-generation solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) to stabilize the anode interface. Polymer-in-ceramic PEO/TiO2 nanocomposite SSEs show outstanding properties, allowing unprecedented LMBs durability and self-healing capabilities. However, the mechanism underlying the inhibition/delay of dendrite growth is not well understood. In fact, the inorganic phase could act as both a chemical and a mechanical barrier to dendrite propagation. Combining advanced in situ and ex situ experimental techniques, we demonstrate that oligo(ethylene oxide)-capped TiO2, although chemically inert toward lithium metal, imparts SSE with mechanical and dynamical properties particularly favorable for application. The self-healing characteristics are due to the interplay between mechanical robustness and high local polymer mobility which promotes the disruption of the electric continuity of the lithium dendrites (razor effect).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Mezzomo
- Dipartimento
di Scienza dei Materiali, Università
di Milano Bicocca, 20125 Milano, Italy
| | - Roberto Lorenzi
- Dipartimento
di Scienza dei Materiali, Università
di Milano Bicocca, 20125 Milano, Italy
| | - Michele Mauri
- Dipartimento
di Scienza dei Materiali, Università
di Milano Bicocca, 20125 Milano, Italy
| | - Roberto Simonutti
- Dipartimento
di Scienza dei Materiali, Università
di Milano Bicocca, 20125 Milano, Italy
| | - Massimiliano D’Arienzo
- Dipartimento
di Scienza dei Materiali, Università
di Milano Bicocca, 20125 Milano, Italy
| | - Tae-Ung Wi
- School
of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangho Ko
- School
of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Wook Lee
- School
of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Lorenzo Poggini
- Consiglio
Nazionale delle Ricerche − CNR Istituto di Chimica dei Composti
OrganoMetallici − ICCOM, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Firenze), Italy
| | - Andrea Caneschi
- Department
of Industrial Engineering (DIEF) and INSTM Research Unit, University of Florence, Via Santa Marta 3, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Piercarlo Mustarelli
- Dipartimento
di Scienza dei Materiali, Università
di Milano Bicocca, 20125 Milano, Italy
- National
Reference Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage (GISEL) −
Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia
dei Materiali (INSTM), 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Riccardo Ruffo
- Dipartimento
di Scienza dei Materiali, Università
di Milano Bicocca, 20125 Milano, Italy
- National
Reference Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage (GISEL) −
Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia
dei Materiali (INSTM), 50121 Firenze, Italy
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22
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Sainas S, Giorgis M, Circosta P, Poli G, Alberti M, Passoni A, Gaidano V, Pippione AC, Vitale N, Bonanni D, Rolando B, Cignetti A, Ramondetti C, Lanno A, Ferraris DM, Canepa B, Buccinnà B, Piccinini M, Rizzi M, Saglio G, Al-Karadaghi S, Boschi D, Miggiano R, Tuccinardi T, Lolli ML. Targeting Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Using Potent Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors Based on the 2-Hydroxypyrazolo[1,5- a]pyridine Scaffold: SAR of the Aryloxyaryl Moiety. J Med Chem 2022; 65:12701-12724. [PMID: 36162075 PMCID: PMC9574863 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors have been associated with acute myelogenous leukemia as well as studied as potent host targeting antivirals. Starting from MEDS433 (IC50 1.2 nM), we kept improving the structure-activity relationship of this class of compounds characterized by 2-hydroxypyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine scaffold. Using an in silico/crystallography supported design, we identified compound 4 (IC50 7.2 nM), characterized by the presence of a decorated aryloxyaryl moiety that replaced the biphenyl scaffold, with potent inhibition and pro-differentiating abilities on AML THP1 cells (EC50 74 nM), superior to those of brequinar (EC50 249 nM) and boosted when in combination with dipyridamole. Finally, compound 4 has an extremely low cytotoxicity on non-AML cells as well as MEDS433; it has shown a significant antileukemic activity in vivo in a xenograft mouse model of AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sainas
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Marta Giorgis
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Paola Circosta
- Department
of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University
of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Turin 10043, Italy
- Molecular
Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin 10126, Italy
| | - Giulio Poli
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Marta Alberti
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Piemonte Orientale, Via
G. Bovio 6, Novara 28100, Italy
| | - Alice Passoni
- Laboratory
of Mass Spectrometry, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan 20156, Italy
| | - Valentina Gaidano
- Division
of Hematology and Cell Therapy, AO Ordine
Mauriziano, Largo Filippo
Turati, 62, Turin 10128, Italy
| | - Agnese C. Pippione
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Vitale
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin 10126, Italy
| | - Davide Bonanni
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
- Life
Science Department, University of Modena, Via Università 4, Modena 41121, Italy
| | - Barbara Rolando
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Alessandro Cignetti
- Division
of Hematology and Cell Therapy, AO Ordine
Mauriziano, Largo Filippo
Turati, 62, Turin 10128, Italy
| | - Cristina Ramondetti
- Department
of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Michelangelo 27/B, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Alessia Lanno
- Laboratory
of Mass Spectrometry, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan 20156, Italy
| | - Davide M. Ferraris
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Piemonte Orientale, Via
G. Bovio 6, Novara 28100, Italy
| | - Barbara Canepa
- GEM FORLAB, Via Ing.
Comotto 36, Caluso, Turin, 10014, Italy
| | - Barbara Buccinnà
- Department
of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Michelangelo 27/B, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Marco Piccinini
- Department
of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Michelangelo 27/B, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Menico Rizzi
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Piemonte Orientale, Via
G. Bovio 6, Novara 28100, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Saglio
- Department
of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University
of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Turin 10043, Italy
- Division
of Hematology and Cell Therapy, AO Ordine
Mauriziano, Largo Filippo
Turati, 62, Turin 10128, Italy
| | - Salam Al-Karadaghi
- Department
of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, Naturvetarvägen
14, Box 124, Lund 221 00, Sweden
| | - Donatella Boschi
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Riccardo Miggiano
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Piemonte Orientale, Via
G. Bovio 6, Novara 28100, Italy
| | - Tiziano Tuccinardi
- Molecular
Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin 10126, Italy
| | - Marco L. Lolli
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
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23
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Avugadda S, Castelli A, Dhanabalan B, Fernandez T, Silvestri N, Collantes C, Baranov D, Imran M, Manna L, Pellegrino T, Arciniegas MP. Highly Emitting Perovskite Nanocrystals with 2-Year Stability in Water through an Automated Polymer Encapsulation for Bioimaging. ACS Nano 2022; 16:13657-13666. [PMID: 35914190 PMCID: PMC9527756 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c01556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Lead-based halide perovskite nanocrystals are highly luminescent materials, but their sensitivity to humid environments and their biotoxicity are still important challenges to solve. Here, we develop a stepwise approach to encapsulate representative CsPbBr3 nanocrystals into water-soluble polymer capsules. We show that our protocol can be extended to nanocrystals coated with different ligands, enabling an outstanding high photoluminescence quantum yield of ∼60% that is preserved over two years in capsules dispersed in water. We demonstrate that this on-bench strategy can be implemented on an automated platform with slight modifications, granting access to a faster and more reproducible fabrication process. Also, we reveal that the capsules can be exploited as photoluminescent probes for cell imaging at a dose as low as 0.3 μgPb/mL that is well below the toxicity threshold for Pb and Cs ions. Our approach contributes to expanding significantly the fields of applications of these luminescent materials including biology and biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahitya
Kumar Avugadda
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea Castelli
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Balaji Dhanabalan
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Tamara Fernandez
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Niccolo Silvestri
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Cynthia Collantes
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Instituto
Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular
y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat
Politècnica de València-Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, E46022 València, Spain
| | - Dmitry Baranov
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Muhammad Imran
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Liberato Manna
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Teresa Pellegrino
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Milena P. Arciniegas
- Nanomaterials
for Biomedical Applications and Nanochemistry, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
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24
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Giannuzzi D, Mota LFM, Pegolo S, Gallo L, Schiavon S, Tagliapietra F, Katz G, Fainboym D, Minuti A, Trevisi E, Cecchinato A. In-line near-infrared analysis of milk coupled with machine learning methods for the daily prediction of blood metabolic profile in dairy cattle. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8058. [PMID: 35577915 PMCID: PMC9110744 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11799-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Precision livestock farming technologies are used to monitor animal health and welfare parameters continuously and in real time in order to optimize nutrition and productivity and to detect health issues at an early stage. The possibility of predicting blood metabolites from milk samples obtained during routine milking by means of infrared spectroscopy has become increasingly attractive. We developed, for the first time, prediction equations for a set of blood metabolites using diverse machine learning methods and milk near-infrared spectra collected by the AfiLab instrument. Our dataset was obtained from 385 Holstein Friesian dairy cows. Stacking ensemble and multi-layer feedforward artificial neural network outperformed the other machine learning methods tested, with a reduction in the root mean square error of between 3 and 6% in most blood parameters. We obtained moderate correlations (r) between the observed and predicted phenotypes for γ-glutamyl transferase (r = 0.58), alkaline phosphatase (0.54), haptoglobin (0.66), globulins (0.61), total reactive oxygen metabolites (0.60) and thiol groups (0.57). The AfiLab instrument has strong potential but may not yet be ready to predict the metabolic stress of dairy cows in practice. Further research is needed to find out methods that allow an improvement in accuracy of prediction equations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Giannuzzi
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy.
| | - Lucio Flavio Macedo Mota
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Sara Pegolo
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Luigi Gallo
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Stefano Schiavon
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Franco Tagliapietra
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Gil Katz
- Afimilk Ltd., 1514800, Kibbutz Afikim, Israel
| | | | - Andrea Minuti
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition (DIANA) and the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Research Center for Sustainable Dairy Production (CREI), Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29122, Piacenza, Italy
| | - Erminio Trevisi
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition (DIANA) and the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Research Center for Sustainable Dairy Production (CREI), Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29122, Piacenza, Italy
| | - Alessio Cecchinato
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy
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25
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Chandra A, Prasad S, Alemanno F, De Luca M, Rizzo R, Romano R, Gigli G, Bucci C, Barra A, del Mercato LL. Fully Automated Computational Approach for Precisely Measuring Organelle Acidification with Optical pH Sensors. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:18133-18149. [PMID: 35404562 PMCID: PMC9052195 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
pH balance and regulation within organelles are fundamental to cell homeostasis and proliferation. The ability to track pH in cells becomes significantly important to understand these processes in detail. Fluorescent sensors based on micro- and nanoparticles have been applied to measure intracellular pH; however, an accurate methodology to precisely monitor acidification kinetics of organelles in living cells has not been established, limiting the scope of this class of sensors. Here, silica-based fluorescent microparticles were utilized to probe the pH of intracellular organelles in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. In addition to the robust, ratiometric, trackable, and bioinert pH sensors, we developed a novel dimensionality reduction algorithm to automatically track and screen massive internalization events of pH sensors. We found that the mean acidification time is comparable among the two cell lines (ΔTMCF-7 = 16.3 min; ΔTMDA-MB-231 = 19.5 min); however, MCF-7 cells showed a much broader heterogeneity in comparison to MDA-MB-231 cells. The use of pH sensors and ratiometric imaging of living cells in combination with a novel computational approach allow analysis of thousands of events in a computationally inexpensive and faster way than the standard routes. The reported methodology can potentially be used to monitor pH as well as several other parameters associated with endocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Chandra
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC), Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Saumya Prasad
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC), Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Francesco Alemanno
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC), Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Matematica e Fisica, Università
del Salento, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Maria De Luca
- Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBa), Università del Salento, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Riccardo Rizzo
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC), Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Roberta Romano
- Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBa), Università del Salento, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gigli
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC), Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Matematica e Fisica, Università
del Salento, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Cecilia Bucci
- Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBa), Università del Salento, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Adriano Barra
- Dipartimento
di Matematica e Fisica, Università
del Salento, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Istituto
Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Lecce, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Loretta L. del Mercato
- Institute
of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-NANOTEC), Campus Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
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26
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Tavazzi E, Daberdaku S, Zandonà A, Vasta R, Nefussy B, Lunetta C, Mora G, Mandrioli J, Grisan E, Tarlarini C, Calvo A, Moglia C, Drory V, Gotkine M, Chiò A, Di Camillo B. Predicting functional impairment trajectories in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a probabilistic, multifactorial model of disease progression. J Neurol 2022; 269:3858-3878. [PMID: 35266043 PMCID: PMC9217910 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11022-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Objective To employ Artificial Intelligence to model, predict and simulate the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression over time in terms of variable interactions, functional impairments, and survival. Methods We employed demographic and clinical variables, including functional scores and the utilisation of support interventions, of 3940 ALS patients from four Italian and two Israeli registers to develop a new approach based on Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs) that models the ALS evolution over time, in two distinct scenarios of variable availability. The method allows to simulate patients’ disease trajectories and predict the probability of functional impairment and survival at different time points. Results DBNs explicitly represent the relationships between the variables and the pathways along which they influence the disease progression. Several notable inter-dependencies were identified and validated by comparison with literature. Moreover, the implemented tool allows the assessment of the effect of different markers on the disease course, reproducing the probabilistically expected clinical progressions. The tool shows high concordance in terms of predicted and real prognosis, assessed as time to functional impairments and survival (integral of the AU-ROC in the first 36 months between 0.80–0.93 and 0.84–0.89 for the two scenarios, respectively). Conclusions Provided only with measurements commonly collected during the first visit, our models can predict time to the loss of independence in walking, breathing, swallowing, communicating, and survival and it can be used to generate in silico patient cohorts with specific characteristics. Our tool provides a comprehensive framework to support physicians in treatment planning and clinical decision-making. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00415-022-11022-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Tavazzi
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Zandonà
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Rosario Vasta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, "Rita Levi Montalcini", Turin, Italy
| | | | | | - Gabriele Mora
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Enrico Grisan
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | | | - Andrea Calvo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, "Rita Levi Montalcini", Turin, Italy
| | - Cristina Moglia
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, "Rita Levi Montalcini", Turin, Italy
| | - Vivian Drory
- Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Marc Gotkine
- Hadassah University Hospital Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Adriano Chiò
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, "Rita Levi Montalcini", Turin, Italy
| | - Barbara Di Camillo
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/B, 35131, Padua, Italy.
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27
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Efrati B, Barkai R, Cesaro SN, Venditti F. Function, life histories, and biographies of Lower Paleolithic patinated flint tools from Late Acheulian Revadim, Israel. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2885. [PMID: 35241694 PMCID: PMC8894402 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06823-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Flint tools exhibiting modified patinated surfaces ("double patina", or post-patination flaked items) provide a glimpse into Paleolithic lithic recycling, stone economy, and human choices. Different life cycles of such items are visually evident by the presence of fresh new modified surfaces alongside old patinated ones (according to color and texture differences). New modifications testify to a gap in time between the previous life cycle of the patinated flaked item and its new one. The aim of the current study is to reconstruct the functional properties and life cycles of a sample of modified patinated flaked tools from Late Acheulian Revadim, Israel by applying use-wear and residue analyses. The results of the functional study allow a better understanding of the practical reasoning behind the collection and recycling of old flint tools, while additional inputs from theoretical and methodological advancements assist in reconstructing their probable role in the worldviews of the site's inhabitants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bar Efrati
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Cultures, Tel Aviv University, POB 39040, 66978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Ran Barkai
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Cultures, Tel Aviv University, POB 39040, 66978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Stella Nunziante Cesaro
- Scientific Methodologies Applied To Cultural Heritage (SMATCH), Rome, Italy
- LTFAPA Laboratory, Department of Classics, Sapienza University of Rome, P.Le Aldo Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Flavia Venditti
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Schloß Hohentübingen, Burgsteige 11, 72070, Tübingen, Germany.
- LTFAPA Laboratory, Department of Classics, Sapienza University of Rome, P.Le Aldo Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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28
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Najafi L, Bellani S, Gabatel L, Zappia MI, Di Carlo A, Bonaccorso F. Reverse-Bias and Temperature Behaviors of Perovskite Solar Cells at Extended Voltage Range. ACS Appl Energy Mater 2022; 5:1378-1384. [PMID: 35252771 PMCID: PMC8889533 DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.1c03206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Perovskite solar cells have reached certified power conversion efficiency over 25%, enabling the realization of efficient large-area modules and even solar farms. It is therefore essential to deal with technical aspects, including the reverse-bias operation and hot-spot effects, which are crucial for the practical implementation of any photovoltaic technology. Here, we analyze the reverse bias (from 2.5 to 30 V) and temperature behavior of mesoscopic cells through infrared thermal imaging coupled with current density measurements. We show that the occurrence of local heating (hot-spots) and arc faults, caused by local shunts, must be considered during cell and module designing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Najafi
- BeDimensional
S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente
Secca 30R, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | | | - Luca Gabatel
- BeDimensional
S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente
Secca 30R, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | | | - Aldo Di Carlo
- CHOSE—Centre
for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy, University
of Rome Tor Vergata, via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Istituto
di Struttura della Materia, CNR-ISM, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Bonaccorso
- BeDimensional
S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente
Secca 30R, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Graphene
Laboratories, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
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29
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Carè M, Averna A, Barban F, Semprini M, De Michieli L, Nudo RJ, Guggenmos DJ, Chiappalone M. The impact of closed-loop intracortical stimulation on neural activity in brain-injured, anesthetized animals. Bioelectron Med 2022; 8:4. [PMID: 35220964 PMCID: PMC8883660 DOI: 10.1186/s42234-022-00086-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acquired brain injuries, such as stroke, are a major cause of long-term disability worldwide. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) can be used successfully to assist in guiding appropriate connections to restore lost sensorimotor integration. Activity-Dependent Stimulation (ADS) is a specific type of closed-loop ICMS that aims at coupling the activity of two different brain regions by stimulating one in response to activity in the other. Recently, ADS was used to effectively promote behavioral recovery in rodent models following a unilateral traumatic brain injury in the primary motor cortex. While behavioral benefits have been described, the neurophysiological changes in spared areas in response to this type of stimulation have not been fully characterized. Here we explored how single-unit spiking activity is impacted by a focal ischemic lesion and, subsequently, by an ADS treatment. METHODS Intracortical microelectrode arrays were implanted in the ipsilesional rostral forelimb area (RFA) to record spike activity and to trigger intracortical microstimulation in the primary somatosensory area (S1) of anaesthetized Long Evans rats. An ischemic injury was induced in the caudal forelimb area through microinjections of Endothelin-1. Activity from both RFA and S1 was recorded and analyzed off-line by evaluating possible changes, either induced by the lesion in the Control group or by stimulation in the ADS group. RESULTS We found that the ischemic lesion in the motor area led to an overall increase in spike activity within RFA and a decrease in S1 with respect to the baseline condition. Subsequent treatment with ADS increased the firing rate in both RFA and S1. Post-stimulation spiking activity was significantly higher compared to pre-stimulation activity in the ADS animals versus non-stimulated controls. Moreover, stimulation promoted the generation of highly synchronized bursting patterns in both RFA and S1 only in the ADS group. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the impact on single-unit activity in ipsilesional areas immediately following a cortical infarct and demonstrates that application of ADS is effective in altering this activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Carè
- Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics System Engineering (DIBRIS), University of Genova, 16145, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alberto Averna
- Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy
- Aldo Ravelli Research Center for Neurotechnology and Experimental Neurotherapeutics, Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Barban
- Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics System Engineering (DIBRIS), University of Genova, 16145, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marianna Semprini
- Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Randolph J Nudo
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, 66160, USA
- Landon Center on Aging, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas, 66160, USA
| | - David J Guggenmos
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, 66160, USA.
- Landon Center on Aging, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas, 66160, USA.
| | - Michela Chiappalone
- Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy.
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics System Engineering (DIBRIS), University of Genova, 16145, Genoa, Italy.
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30
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Thakkar S, De Luca L, Gaspa S, Mariani A, Garroni S, Iacomini A, Stagi L, Innocenzi P, Malfatti L. Comparative Evaluation of Graphene Nanostructures in GERS Platforms for Pesticide Detection. ACS Omega 2022; 7:5670-5678. [PMID: 35224328 PMCID: PMC8867560 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Graphene-enhanced Raman scattering (GERS) produces enhancement of the Raman signal, which is based on chemical rather than electromagnetic mechanism such as in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Graphene oxide, amino- and guanidine-functionalized graphene oxide, exfoliated graphene, and commercial graphene nanoplatelets have been used to investigate the GERS response with the change of graphene properties. Different graphene nanostructures have been embedded into organic-inorganic microporous films to build a platform for the fast and sensitive detection of pesticides in water. The graphene nanostructures vary in the number of layers, lateral size, degree of oxidation, and surface functionalization. The GERS performances of the graphene nanostructures cast on silicon substrates and embedded in the nanocomposite films have been comparatively evaluated. After casting a few droplets of the pesticide aqueous solution on the graphene nanostructures, the Raman band enhancements of the analytes have been measured. In the nanocomposite films, the characteristic Raman bands originating from pesticides such as paraoxon, parathion, and glyphosate could be traced at concentrations below 10-7, 10-5, and 10-4 M, respectively. The results show that the surface functionalization reduces the GERS effect because it increases the ratio between the sp3 carbon and sp2 carbon. On the other hand, the comparison among different types of graphenes shows that the monolayers are more efficient than the few-layer nanostructures in enhancing the Raman signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapneel Thakkar
- LMNT,
CR-INSTM, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale S. Pietro, 43c, 07100 Sassari SS, Italy
| | - Lidia De Luca
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of
Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Silvia Gaspa
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of
Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Alberto Mariani
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of
Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Garroni
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of
Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Iacomini
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of
Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Luigi Stagi
- LMNT,
CR-INSTM, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale S. Pietro, 43c, 07100 Sassari SS, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of
Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Plinio Innocenzi
- LMNT,
CR-INSTM, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale S. Pietro, 43c, 07100 Sassari SS, Italy
| | - Luca Malfatti
- LMNT,
CR-INSTM, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale S. Pietro, 43c, 07100 Sassari SS, Italy
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31
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Castrovilli MC, Tempesta E, Cartoni A, Plescia P, Bolognesi P, Chiarinelli J, Calandra P, Cicco N, Verrastro MF, Centonze D, Gullo L, Del Giudice A, Galantini L, Avaldi L. Fabrication of a New, Low-Cost, and Environment-Friendly Laccase-Based Biosensor by Electrospray Immobilization with Unprecedented Reuse and Storage Performances. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 2022; 10:1888-1898. [PMID: 35154910 PMCID: PMC8830555 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c07604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The fabrication of enzyme-based biosensors has received much attention for their selectivity and sensitivity. In particular, laccase-based biosensors have attracted a lot of interest for their capacity to detect highly toxic molecules in the environment, becoming essential tools in the fields of white biotechnology and green chemistry. The manufacturing of a new, metal-free, laccase-based biosensor with unprecedented reuse and storage capabilities has been achieved in this work through the application of the electrospray deposition (ESD) methodology as the enzyme immobilization technique. Electrospray ionization (ESI) has been used for ambient soft-landing of laccase enzymes on a carbon substrate, employing sustainable chemistry. This study shows how the ESD technique can be successfully exploited for the fabrication of a new promising environment-friendly electrochemical amperometric laccase-based biosensor, with storage capability up to two months without any particular care and reuse performance up to 63 measurements on the same electrode just prepared and 20 measurements on the one-year-old electrode subjected to redeposition. The laccase-based biosensor has been tested for catechol detection in the linear range 2-100 μM, with a limit of detection of 1.7 μM, without interference from chrome, cadmium, arsenic, and zinc and without any memory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattea Carmen Castrovilli
- Istituto
di Struttura della Materia-CNR (ISM-CNR), Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Emanuela Tempesta
- CNR-Institute
of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (CNR-IGAG), Area della Ricerca Roma1, Via Salaria
km 29.300, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Antonella Cartoni
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Paolo Plescia
- CNR-Institute
of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (CNR-IGAG), Area della Ricerca Roma1, Via Salaria
km 29.300, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Paola Bolognesi
- Istituto
di Struttura della Materia-CNR (ISM-CNR), Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Jacopo Chiarinelli
- Istituto
di Struttura della Materia-CNR (ISM-CNR), Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Pietro Calandra
- CNR-Institute
for the Study of Nanostructured Materials (CNR-ISMN), Area della Ricerca Roma1, Via Salaria
km 29.300, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Nunzia Cicco
- CNR-Institute
of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis (CNR-IMAA), Contrada Santa Loja, Tito Scalo, 85050 Potenza, Italy
| | - Maria Filomena Verrastro
- Istituto
di Struttura della Materia-CNR (ISM-CNR), Contrada Santa Loja, Tito
Scalo 85050, Potenza, Italy
| | - Diego Centonze
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Agrarie, degli Alimenti e dell’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Foggia, via Napoli, 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy
| | - Ludovica Gullo
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | | | - Luciano Galantini
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Avaldi
- Istituto
di Struttura della Materia-CNR (ISM-CNR), Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
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Adams JH, Ahmad S, Allard D, Anzalone A, Bacholle S, Barrillon P, Bayer J, Bertaina M, Bisconti F, Blaksley C, Blin-Bondil S, Bobík P, Cafagna F, Campana D, Capel F, Casolino M, Cassardo C, Catalano C, Cremonini R, Dagoret-Campagne S, Danto P, del Peral L, de la Taille C, Díaz Damian A, Dupieux M, Ebersoldt A, Ebisuzaki T, Eser J, Evrard J, Fenu F, Ferrarese S, Fornaro C, Fouka M, Gorodetzky P, Guarino F, Guzman A, Hachisu Y, Haungs A, Judd E, Jung A, Karczmarczyk J, Kawasaki Y, Klimov PA, Kuznetsov E, Mackovjak S, Manfrin M, Marcelli L, Medina-Tanco G, Mercier K, Merino A, Mernik T, Miyamoto H, Morales de los Ríos JA, Moretto C, Mot B, Neronov A, Ohmori H, Olinto AV, Osteria G, Panico B, Parizot E, Paul T, Picozza P, Piotrowski LW, Plebaniak Z, Pliego S, Prat P, Prévôt G, Prieto H, Putis M, Rabanal J, Ricci M, Rojas J, Rodríguez Frías MD, Roudil G, Sáez Cano G, Sahnoun Z, Sakaki N, Sanchez JC, Santangelo A, Sarazin F, Scotti V, Shinozaki K, Silva H, Soriano JF, Suino G, Szabelski J, Toscano S, Tabone I, Takizawa Y, von Ballmoos P, Wiencke L, Wille M, Zotov M. A Review of the EUSO-Balloon Pathfinder for the JEM-EUSO Program. Space Sci Rev 2022; 218:3. [PMID: 35153338 PMCID: PMC8807436 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-022-00870-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
EUSO-Balloon is a pathfinder for JEM-EUSO, the mission concept of a spaceborne observatory which is designed to observe Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR)-induced Extensive Air Showers (EAS) by detecting their UltraViolet (UV) light tracks "from above." On August 25, 2014, EUSO-Balloon was launched from Timmins Stratospheric Balloon Base (Ontario, Canada) by the balloon division of the French Space Agency CNES. After reaching a floating altitude of 38 km, EUSO-Balloon imaged the UV light in the wavelength range ∼290-500 nm for more than 5 hours using the key technologies of JEM-EUSO. The flight allowed a good understanding of the performance of the detector to be developed, giving insights into possible improvements to be applied to future missions. A detailed measurement of the photoelectron counts in different atmospheric and ground conditions was achieved. By means of the simulation of the instrument response and by assuming atmospheric models, the absolute intensity of diffuse light was estimated. The instrument detected hundreds of laser tracks with similar characteristics to EASs shot by a helicopter flying underneath. These are the first recorded laser tracks measured from a fluorescence detector looking down on the atmosphere. The reconstruction of the direction of the laser tracks was performed. In this work, a review of the main results obtained by EUSO-Balloon is presented as well as implications for future space-based observations of UHECRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. H. Adams
- University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, USA
| | - S. Ahmad
- Omega, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau, France
| | - D. Allard
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - A. Anzalone
- INAF - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - S. Bacholle
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - P. Barrillon
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
| | - J. Bayer
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - M. Bertaina
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Torino, Torino, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - F. Bisconti
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C. Blaksley
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - S. Blin-Bondil
- Omega, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau, France
| | - P. Bobík
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia
| | - F. Cafagna
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - D. Campana
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | - F. Capel
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M. Casolino
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | - C. Cassardo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - C. Catalano
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - R. Cremonini
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - P. Danto
- CNES, 18 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France
| | | | | | | | - M. Dupieux
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - A. Ebersoldt
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | | | - J. Eser
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, USA
| | - J. Evrard
- CNES, 18 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France
| | - F. Fenu
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Torino, Torino, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - S. Ferrarese
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - M. Fouka
- Center of Research in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Geophysics, Algiers, Algeria
| | - P. Gorodetzky
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - F. Guarino
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - A. Guzman
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Y. Hachisu
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
| | - A. Haungs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - E. Judd
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - A. Jung
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | | | | | - P. A. Klimov
- Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - E. Kuznetsov
- University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, USA
| | - S. Mackovjak
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia
| | - M. Manfrin
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - L. Marcelli
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | - G. Medina-Tanco
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - K. Mercier
- CNES, 18 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France
| | | | - T. Mernik
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - H. Miyamoto
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - C. Moretto
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
| | - B. Mot
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - A. Neronov
- ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics, Versoix, Switzerland
| | - H. Ohmori
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
| | | | - G. Osteria
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | - B. Panico
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - E. Parizot
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - T. Paul
- Lehman College, City University of New York, New York, USA
| | - P. Picozza
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Z. Plebaniak
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
- National Centre for Nuclear Research, Lodz, Poland
| | - S. Pliego
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - P. Prat
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - G. Prévôt
- APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Paris, France
| | - H. Prieto
- Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Putis
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia
| | - J. Rabanal
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
| | - M. Ricci
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Frascati, Italy
| | - J. Rojas
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - G. Roudil
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Z. Sahnoun
- Center of Research in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Geophysics, Algiers, Algeria
| | - N. Sakaki
- RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama Japan
| | - J. C. Sanchez
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - A. Santangelo
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - V. Scotti
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - K. Shinozaki
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
- National Centre for Nuclear Research, Lodz, Poland
| | - H. Silva
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - G. Suino
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - J. Szabelski
- National Centre for Nuclear Research, Lodz, Poland
| | - S. Toscano
- ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics, Versoix, Switzerland
| | - I. Tabone
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | | | | | - M. Wille
- ECAP, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - M. Zotov
- Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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Raffa CM, Vergnano A, Chiampo F, Godio A. Integrated use of chemical and geophysical monitoring to study the diesel oil biodegradation in microcosms with different operative conditions. J Environ Health Sci Eng 2021; 19:1263-1276. [PMID: 34900264 PMCID: PMC8617148 DOI: 10.1007/s40201-021-00681-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to monitor the aerobic bioremediation of diesel oil-contaminated soil by measuring: a) the CO2 production; 2) the fluorescein production; 3) the residual diesel oil concentration. Moreover, the complex dielectric permittivity was monitored through an open-ended coaxial cable. Several microcosms were prepared, changing the water content (u% = 8-15% by weight), the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N = 20-450), and the soil amount (200 and 800 g of dry soil). The cumulative CO2 and fluorescein production showed similar trends, but different values since these two parameters reflect different features of the biological process occurring within each microcosm. The diesel oil removal efficiency depended on the microcosm characteristics. After 84 days, in the microcosms with 200 g of dry soil, the highest removal efficiency was achieved with a water content of 8% by weight and C/N = 120, while in the microcosms with 800 g of dry soil the best result was achieved with the water content equal to 12% by weight and C/N = 100. In the tested soil, the bioremediation process is efficient if the water content is in the range 8-12% by weight, and C/N is in the range 100-180; under these operative conditions, the diesel oil removal efficiency was about 65-70% after 84 days. The dielectric permittivity was monitored in microcosms with 200 g of dry soil. The open-ended coaxial cable detected significant variations of both the real and the imaginary component of the dielectric permittivity during the bioremediation process, due to the physical and chemical changes that occurred within the microcosms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Maria Raffa
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Vergnano
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Fulvia Chiampo
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Alberto Godio
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
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Bellani S, Bartolotta A, Agresti A, Calogero G, Grancini G, Di Carlo A, Kymakis E, Bonaccorso F. Solution-processed two-dimensional materials for next-generation photovoltaics. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:11870-11965. [PMID: 34494631 PMCID: PMC8559907 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00106j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the ever-increasing energy demand scenario, the development of novel photovoltaic (PV) technologies is considered to be one of the key solutions to fulfil the energy request. In this context, graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials (GRMs), including nonlayered 2D materials and 2D perovskites, as well as their hybrid systems, are emerging as promising candidates to drive innovation in PV technologies. The mechanical, thermal, and optoelectronic properties of GRMs can be exploited in different active components of solar cells to design next-generation devices. These components include front (transparent) and back conductive electrodes, charge transporting layers, and interconnecting/recombination layers, as well as photoactive layers. The production and processing of GRMs in the liquid phase, coupled with the ability to "on-demand" tune their optoelectronic properties exploiting wet-chemical functionalization, enable their effective integration in advanced PV devices through scalable, reliable, and inexpensive printing/coating processes. Herein, we review the progresses in the use of solution-processed 2D materials in organic solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, and organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells, as well as in tandem systems. We first provide a brief introduction on the properties of 2D materials and their production methods by solution-processing routes. Then, we discuss the functionality of 2D materials for electrodes, photoactive layer components/additives, charge transporting layers, and interconnecting layers through figures of merit, which allow the performance of solar cells to be determined and compared with the state-of-the-art values. We finally outline the roadmap for the further exploitation of solution-processed 2D materials to boost the performance of PV devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiano Bellani
- BeDimensional S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente Secca 30R, 16163 Genova, Italy.
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Graphene Labs, via Moreogo 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Antonino Bartolotta
- CNR-IPCF, Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici, Via F. Stagno D'alcontres 37, 98158 Messina, Italy
| | - Antonio Agresti
- CHOSE - Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Calogero
- CNR-IPCF, Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici, Via F. Stagno D'alcontres 37, 98158 Messina, Italy
| | - Giulia Grancini
- University of Pavia and INSTM, Via Taramelli 16, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Aldo Di Carlo
- CHOSE - Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
- L.A.S.E. - Laboratory for Advanced Solar Energy, National University of Science and Technology "MISiS", 119049 Leninskiy Prosect 6, Moscow, Russia
| | - Emmanuel Kymakis
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Estavromenos 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Francesco Bonaccorso
- BeDimensional S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente Secca 30R, 16163 Genova, Italy.
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Graphene Labs, via Moreogo 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
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35
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Petralanda U, Biffi G, Boehme SC, Baranov D, Krahne R, Manna L, Infante I. Fast Intrinsic Emission Quenching in Cs 4PbBr 6 Nanocrystals. Nano Lett 2021; 21:8619-8626. [PMID: 34643400 PMCID: PMC8554796 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Cs4PbBr6 (0D) nanocrystals at room temperature have both been reported as nonemissive and green-emissive systems in conflicting reports, with no consensus regarding both the origin of the green emission and the emission quenching mechanism. Here, via ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, we show that the PL in these 0D metal halides is thermally quenched well below 300 K via strong electron-phonon coupling. To unravel the source of green emission reported for bulk 0D systems, we further study two previously suggested candidate green emitters: (i) a Br vacancy, which we demonstrate to present a strong thermal emission quenching at room temperature; (ii) an impurity, based on octahedral connectivity, that succeeds in suppressing nonradiative quenching via a reduced electron-phonon coupling in the corner-shared lead bromide octahedral network. These findings contribute to unveiling the mechanism behind the temperature-dependent PL in lead halide materials of different dimensionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urko Petralanda
- Nanochemistry
Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Giulia Biffi
- Nanochemistry
Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università
degli Studi di Genova, Via Dodecaneso, 31, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Simon C. Boehme
- Department
of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dmitry Baranov
- Nanochemistry
Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Roman Krahne
- Optoelectronics
Research Line, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Liberato Manna
- Nanochemistry
Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Ivan Infante
- Nanochemistry
Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Ottonelli I, Duskey JT, Rinaldi A, Grazioli MV, Parmeggiani I, Vandelli MA, Wang LZ, Prud’homme RK, Tosi G, Ruozi B. Microfluidic Technology for the Production of Hybrid Nanomedicines. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1495. [PMID: 34575571 PMCID: PMC8465086 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13091495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic technologies have recently been applied as innovative methods for the production of a variety of nanomedicines (NMeds), demonstrating their potential on a global scale. The capacity to precisely control variables, such as the flow rate ratio, temperature, total flow rate, etc., allows for greater tunability of the NMed systems that are more standardized and automated than the ones obtained by well-known benchtop protocols. However, it is a crucial aspect to be able to obtain NMeds with the same characteristics of the previously optimized ones. In this study, we focused on the transfer of a production protocol for hybrid NMeds (H-NMeds) consisting of PLGA, Cholesterol, and Pluronic® F68 from a benchtop nanoprecipitation method to a microfluidic device. For this aim, we modified parameters such as the flow rate ratio, the concentration of core materials in the organic phase, and the ratio between PLGA and Cholesterol in the feeding organic phase. Outputs analysed were the chemico-physical properties, such as size, PDI, and surface charge, the composition in terms of %Cholesterol and residual %Pluronic® F68, their stability to lyophilization, and the morphology via atomic force and electron microscopy. On the basis of the results, even if microfluidic technology is one of the unique procedures to obtain industrial production of NMeds, we demonstrated that the translation from a benchtop method to a microfluidic one is not a simple transfer of already established parameters, with several variables to be taken into account and to be optimized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Ottonelli
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine Ph.D. Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Jason Thomas Duskey
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
| | - Arianna Rinaldi
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine Ph.D. Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Grazioli
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
| | - Irene Parmeggiani
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
| | - Maria Angela Vandelli
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
| | - Leon Z. Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; (L.Z.W.); (R.K.P.)
| | - Robert K. Prud’homme
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; (L.Z.W.); (R.K.P.)
| | - Giovanni Tosi
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
| | - Barbara Ruozi
- Nanotech Lab, Te. Far.T.I., Department Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (I.O.); (J.T.D.); (A.R.); (M.V.G.); (I.P.); (M.A.V.); (B.R.)
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Bellani S, Najafi L, Prato M, Oropesa-Nuñez R, Martín-García B, Gagliani L, Mantero E, Marasco L, Bianca G, Zappia MI, Demirci C, Olivotto S, Mariucci G, Pellegrini V, Schiavetti M, Bonaccorso F. Graphene-Based Electrodes in a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery Produced by Rapid Low-Pressure Combined Gas Plasma Treatments. Chem Mater 2021; 33:4106-4121. [PMID: 34267420 PMCID: PMC8274967 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c00763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The development of high-power density vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) with high energy efficiencies (EEs) is crucial for the widespread dissemination of this energy storage technology. In this work, we report the production of novel hierarchical carbonaceous nanomaterials for VRFB electrodes with high catalytic activity toward the vanadium redox reactions (VO2+/VO2 + and V2+/V3+). The electrode materials are produced through a rapid (minute timescale) low-pressure combined gas plasma treatment of graphite felts (GFs) in an inductively coupled radio frequency reactor. By systematically studying the effects of either pure gases (O2 and N2) or their combination at different gas plasma pressures, the electrodes are optimized to reduce their kinetic polarization for the VRFB redox reactions. To further enhance the catalytic surface area of the electrodes, single-/few-layer graphene, produced by highly scalable wet-jet milling exfoliation of graphite, is incorporated into the GFs through an infiltration method in the presence of a polymeric binder. Depending on the thickness of the proton-exchange membrane (Nafion 115 or Nafion XL), our optimized VRFB configurations can efficiently operate within a wide range of charge/discharge current densities, exhibiting energy efficiencies up to 93.9%, 90.8%, 88.3%, 85.6%, 77.6%, and 69.5% at 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, and 300 mA cm-2, respectively. Our technology is cost-competitive when compared to commercial ones (additional electrode costs < 100 € m-2) and shows EEs rivalling the record-high values reported for efficient systems to date. Our work remarks on the importance to study modified plasma conditions or plasma methods alternative to those reported previously (e.g., atmospheric plasmas) to improve further the electrode performances of the current VRFB systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiano Bellani
- BeDimensional
S.p.a., Via Lungotorrente
secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- (S.B.)
| | - Leyla Najafi
- BeDimensional
S.p.a., Via Lungotorrente
secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Mirko Prato
- Materials
Characterization Facility, Istituto Italiano
di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Reinier Oropesa-Nuñez
- BeDimensional
S.p.a., Via Lungotorrente
secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala
University, Box 534, 751
03 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Beatriz Martín-García
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- CIC nanoGUNE, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque, Spain
| | - Luca Gagliani
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Elisa Mantero
- BeDimensional
S.p.a., Via Lungotorrente
secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Luigi Marasco
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Gabriele Bianca
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università
degli Studi di Genova, via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genoa, Italy
| | - Marilena I. Zappia
- BeDimensional
S.p.a., Via Lungotorrente
secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Physics, University of Calabria, via P. Bucci cubo 31/C, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Cansunur Demirci
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università
degli Studi di Genova, via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genoa, Italy
- NanoChemistry, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Silvia Olivotto
- Wind
Technology Innovation, Enel Global Power
Generation, https://www.enel.com/
| | - Giacomo Mariucci
- Storage
and New Business Design, Engineering & Construction, Enel Green Power S.p.A., https://www.enel.com/
| | - Vittorio Pellegrini
- BeDimensional
S.p.a., Via Lungotorrente
secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Massimo Schiavetti
- Thermal &
Industry 4.0 Innovation, Enel Global Power
Generation, https://www.enel.com/
| | - Francesco Bonaccorso
- BeDimensional
S.p.a., Via Lungotorrente
secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- (F.B.)
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38
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Isola D, Bartoli F, Langone S, Ceschin S, Zucconi L, Caneva G. Plant DNA Barcode as a Tool for Root Identification in Hypogea: The Case of the Etruscan Tombs of Tarquinia (Central Italy). Plants (Basel) 2021; 10:1138. [PMID: 34205139 PMCID: PMC8228792 DOI: 10.3390/plants10061138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Roots can produce mechanical and chemical alterations to building structures, especially in the case of underground historical artifacts. In archaeological sites, where vegetation plays the dual role of naturalistic relevance and potential threat, trees and bushes are under supervision. No customized measures can be taken against herbaceous plants lacking fast and reliable root identification methods that are useful to assess their dangerousness. In this study, we aimed to test the efficacy of DNA barcoding in identifying plant rootlets threatening the Etruscan tombs of the Necropolis of Tarquinia. As DNA barcode markers, we selected two sections of the genes rbcL and matK, the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS), and the intergenic spacer psbA-trnH. All fourteen root samples were successfully sequenced and identified at species (92.9%) and genus level (7.01%) by GenBank matching and reference dataset implementation. Some eudicotyledons with taproots, such as Echium italicum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., and Reseda lutea L. subsp. lutea, showed a certain recurrence. Further investigations are needed to confirm this promising result, increasing the number of roots and enlarging the reference dataset with attention to meso-Mediterranean perennial herbaceous species. The finding of herbaceous plants roots at more than 3 m deep confirms their potential risk and underlines the importance of vegetation planning, monitoring, and management on archaeological sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Isola
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.B.); (S.L.); (S.C.); (G.C.)
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy;
| | - Flavia Bartoli
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.B.); (S.L.); (S.C.); (G.C.)
| | - Simone Langone
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.B.); (S.L.); (S.C.); (G.C.)
| | - Simona Ceschin
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.B.); (S.L.); (S.C.); (G.C.)
| | - Laura Zucconi
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy;
| | - Giulia Caneva
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.B.); (S.L.); (S.C.); (G.C.)
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39
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Gambino E, Chandrasekhar K, Nastro RA. SMFC as a tool for the removal of hydrocarbons and metals in the marine environment: a concise research update. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021; 28:30436-30451. [PMID: 33891239 PMCID: PMC8238742 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13593-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Marine pollution is becoming more and more serious, especially in coastal areas. Because of the sequestration and consequent accumulation of pollutants in sediments (mainly organic compounds and heavy metals), marine environment restoration cannot exempt from effective remediation of sediments themselves. It has been well proven that, after entering into the seawater, these pollutants are biotransformed into their metabolites, which may be more toxic than their parent molecules. Based on their bioavailability and toxic nature, these compounds may accumulate into the living cells of marine organisms. Pollutants bioaccumulation and biomagnification along the marine food chain lead to seafood contamination and human health hazards. Nowadays, different technologies are available for sediment remediation, such as physicochemical, biological, and bioelectrochemical processes. This paper gives an overview of the most recent techniques for marine sediment remediation while presenting sediment-based microbial fuel cells (SMFCs). We discuss the issues, the progress, and future perspectives of SMFC application to the removal of hydrocarbons and metals in the marine environment with concurrent energy production. We give an insight into the possible mechanisms leading to sediment remediation, SMFC energy balance, and future exploitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edvige Gambino
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Kuppam Chandrasekhar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Telangana, 506004, India.
| | - Rosa Anna Nastro
- Department of Science and Technology, University Parthenope of Naples, Naples, Italy.
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40
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Chatzimanolis K, Rogdakis K, Tsikritzis D, Tzoganakis N, Tountas M, Krassas M, Bellani S, Najafi L, Martín-García B, Oropesa-Nuñez R, Prato M, Bianca G, Plutnarova I, Sofer Z, Bonaccorso F, Kymakis E. Inverted perovskite solar cells with enhanced lifetime and thermal stability enabled by a metallic tantalum disulfide buffer layer. Nanoscale Adv 2021; 3:3124-3135. [PMID: 36133666 PMCID: PMC9419768 DOI: 10.1039/d1na00172h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have proved their potential for delivering high power conversion efficiencies (PCE) alongside low fabrication cost and high versatility. The stability and the PCE of PSCs can readily be improved by implementing engineering approaches that entail the incorporation of two-dimensional (2D) materials across the device's layered configuration. In this work, two-dimensional (2D) 6R-TaS2 flakes were exfoliated and incorporated as a buffer layer in inverted PSCs, enhancing the device's PCE, lifetime and thermal stability. A thin buffer layer of 6R-TaS2 flakes was formed on top of the electron transport layer to facilitate electron extraction, thus improving the overall device performance. The optimized devices reach a PCE of 18.45%, representing a 12% improvement compared to the reference cell. The lifetime stability measurements of the devices under ISOS-L2, ISOS-D1, ISOS-D1I and ISOS-D2I protocols revealed that the TaS2 buffer layer retards the intrinsic, thermally activated degradation processes of the PSCs. Notably, the devices retain more than the 80% of their initial PCE over 330 h under continuous 1 Sun illumination at 65 °C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Chatzimanolis
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
| | - Konstantinos Rogdakis
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
- Institute of Emerging Technologies (i-EMERGE) of HMU Research Center Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
| | - Dimitris Tsikritzis
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
- Institute of Emerging Technologies (i-EMERGE) of HMU Research Center Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
| | - Nikolaos Tzoganakis
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
| | - Marinos Tountas
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
| | - Miron Krassas
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
| | | | - Leyla Najafi
- BeDimensional SpA Via Lungotorrente Secca 3d 16163 Genova Italy
| | - Beatriz Martín-García
- Graphene Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia via Morego 30 Genova 16163 Italy
- CIC nanoGUNE Tolosa Hiribidea, 76 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian Spain
| | - Reinier Oropesa-Nuñez
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala University Box 534 751 03 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Mirko Prato
- Materials Characterization Facility, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia via Morego 30 16163 Genova Italy
| | - Gabriele Bianca
- Graphene Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia via Morego 30 Genova 16163 Italy
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università degli Studi di Genova via Dodecaneso 31 16146 Genoa Italy
| | - Iva Plutnarova
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague Technická 5 166 28 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Sofer
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague Technická 5 166 28 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Francesco Bonaccorso
- BeDimensional SpA Via Lungotorrente Secca 3d 16163 Genova Italy
- Graphene Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia via Morego 30 Genova 16163 Italy
| | - Emmanuel Kymakis
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
- Institute of Emerging Technologies (i-EMERGE) of HMU Research Center Heraklion 71410 Crete Greece
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41
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Mariani P, Najafi L, Bianca G, Zappia MI, Gabatel L, Agresti A, Pescetelli S, Di Carlo A, Bellani S, Bonaccorso F. Low-Temperature Graphene-Based Paste for Large-Area Carbon Perovskite Solar Cells. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:22368-22380. [PMID: 33969983 PMCID: PMC8289184 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c02626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Carbon perovskite solar cells (C-PSCs), using carbon-based counter electrodes (C-CEs), promise to mitigate instability issues while providing solution-processed and low-cost device configurations. In this work, we report the fabrication and characterization of efficient paintable C-PSCs obtained by depositing a low-temperature-processed graphene-based carbon paste atop prototypical mesoscopic and planar n-i-p structures. Small-area (0.09 cm2) mesoscopic C-PSCs reach a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.81% while showing an improved thermal stability under the ISOS-D-2 protocol compared to the reference devices based on Au CEs. The proposed graphene-based C-CEs are applied to large-area (1 cm2) mesoscopic devices and low-temperature-processed planar n-i-p devices, reaching PCEs of 13.85 and 14.06%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these PCE values are among the highest reported for large-area C-PSCs in the absence of back-contact metallization or additional stacked conductive components or a thermally evaporated barrier layer between the charge-transporting layer and the C-CE (strategies commonly used for the record-high efficiency C-PSCs). In addition, we report a proof-of-concept of metallized miniwafer-like area C-PSCs (substrate area = 6.76 cm2, aperture area = 4.00 cm2), reaching a PCE on active area of 13.86% and a record-high PCE on aperture area of 12.10%, proving the metallization compatibility with our C-PSCs. Monolithic wafer-like area C-PSCs can be feasible all-solution-processed configurations, more reliable than prototypical perovskite solar (mini)modules based on the serial connection of subcells, since they mitigate hysteresis-induced performance losses and hot-spot-induced irreversible material damage caused by reverse biases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Mariani
- CHOSE—Centre
for Hybird and Organic Solar Energy, University
of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Leyla Najafi
- BeDimensional
S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente
Secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Gabriele Bianca
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università
degli Studi di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genoa, Italy
| | - Marilena Isabella Zappia
- BeDimensional
S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente
Secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Department
of Physics, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci cubo 31/C, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Luca Gabatel
- BeDimensional
S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente
Secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Antonio Agresti
- CHOSE—Centre
for Hybird and Organic Solar Energy, University
of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Pescetelli
- CHOSE—Centre
for Hybird and Organic Solar Energy, University
of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Aldo Di Carlo
- CHOSE—Centre
for Hybird and Organic Solar Energy, University
of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
- ISM-CNR,
Istituto di Struttura della Materia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Bonaccorso
- BeDimensional
S.p.A., Via Lungotorrente
Secca 3D, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Graphene
Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
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42
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Sainas S, Giorgis M, Circosta P, Gaidano V, Bonanni D, Pippione AC, Bagnati R, Passoni A, Qiu Y, Cojocaru CF, Canepa B, Bona A, Rolando B, Mishina M, Ramondetti C, Buccinnà B, Piccinini M, Houshmand M, Cignetti A, Giraudo E, Al-Karadaghi S, Boschi D, Saglio G, Lolli ML. Targeting Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Using Potent Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors Based on the 2-Hydroxypyrazolo[1,5- a]pyridine Scaffold: SAR of the Biphenyl Moiety. J Med Chem 2021; 64:5404-5428. [PMID: 33844533 PMCID: PMC8279415 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The connection with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH), a key enzyme in pyrimidine biosynthesis, has attracted significant interest from pharma as a possible AML therapeutic target. We recently discovered compound 1, a potent hDHODH inhibitor (IC50 = 1.2 nM), able to induce myeloid differentiation in AML cell lines (THP1) in the low nM range (EC50 = 32.8 nM) superior to brequinar's phase I/II clinical trial (EC50 = 265 nM). Herein, we investigate the 1 drug-like properties observing good metabolic stability and no toxic profile when administered at doses of 10 and 25 mg/kg every 3 days for 5 weeks (Balb/c mice). Moreover, in order to identify a backup compound, we investigate the SAR of this class of compounds. Inside the series, 17 is characterized by higher potency in inducing myeloid differentiation (EC50 = 17.3 nM), strong proapoptotic properties (EC50 = 20.2 nM), and low cytotoxicity toward non-AML cells (EC30(Jurkat) > 100 μM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sainas
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Marta Giorgis
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Paola Circosta
- Department
of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University
of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Turin 10043, Italy
- Molecular
Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin 10126, Italy
| | - Valentina Gaidano
- Department
of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University
of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Turin 10043, Italy
- Division
of Hematology, AO SS Antonio e Biagio e
Cesare Arrigo, Via Venezia
16, Alessandria 15121, Italy
| | - Davide Bonanni
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Agnese C. Pippione
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Renzo Bagnati
- Department
of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto
di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milano 20156, Italy
| | - Alice Passoni
- Department
of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto
di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milano 20156, Italy
| | - Yaqi Qiu
- Laboratory
of Tumor Microenvironment, Candiolo Cancer
Institute, FPO, IRCCS, Candiolo, Strada Provinciale, 142-KM 3.95, Candiolo, Turin 10060, Italy
- Higher
Education Mega Center, Institutes for Life Sciences, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
| | - Carina Florina Cojocaru
- Laboratory
of Tumor Microenvironment, Candiolo Cancer
Institute, FPO, IRCCS, Candiolo, Strada Provinciale, 142-KM 3.95, Candiolo, Turin 10060, Italy
| | - Barbara Canepa
- Gem
Forlab srl, Via Ribes,
5, Colleretto Giacosa, Turin 10010, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bona
- Gem
Chimica srl, Via Maestri
del Lavoro, 25, Busca, Cuneo 12022, Italy
| | - Barbara Rolando
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Mariia Mishina
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Cristina Ramondetti
- Department
of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Michelangelo 27/B, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Barbara Buccinnà
- Department
of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Michelangelo 27/B, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Marco Piccinini
- Department
of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Michelangelo 27/B, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Mohammad Houshmand
- Department
of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University
of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Turin 10043, Italy
- Molecular
Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin 10126, Italy
| | - Alessandro Cignetti
- Division
of Hematology and Cell Therapy, AO Ordine
Mauriziano, Largo Filippo Turati, 62, Turin 10128, Italy
| | - Enrico Giraudo
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
- Laboratory
of Tumor Microenvironment, Candiolo Cancer
Institute, FPO, IRCCS, Candiolo, Strada Provinciale, 142-KM 3.95, Candiolo, Turin 10060, Italy
| | - Salam Al-Karadaghi
- Department
of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, Naturvetarvägen 14, Box 124, Lund 221 00, Sweden
| | - Donatella Boschi
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Saglio
- Department
of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University
of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Turin 10043, Italy
- Division
of Hematology and Cell Therapy, AO Ordine
Mauriziano, Largo Filippo Turati, 62, Turin 10128, Italy
| | - Marco L. Lolli
- Department
of Drug Science and Technology, University
of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, Turin 10125, Italy
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43
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Abstract
The fabrication of optically active heterostructures in the shape of mesostructured thin films is a highly challenging task. It requires an integrated process to allow in one-step incorporating the two-dimensional materials within the mesoporous ordered host without disrupting the pore organization. Hexagonal boron nitride (BN) nanosheets have been successfully introduced into titania mesoporous films using a template-assisted sol-gel synthesis and evaporation-induced self-assembly. Two types of BN sheets have been used, with and without defects, to investigate the role of defects in heterostructure properties. It has been found that the defects increase the ultraviolet radiation A (UVA) absorbance and enhance the photocatalytic response of the film. The BN sheets are optically transparent and do not exhibit any photocatalytic property but contribute to anatase crystallization via heterogeneous nucleation.
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44
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Abstract
The expansion of cities and their impacts currently constitutes a challenge for the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this respect, assessments of resource consumption and the delivery of appropriate policies to support resource conservation are of paramount importance. Previous works in the literature have focused on one specific resource (e.g., water, energy, food) at the household level, while others have analysed the inter-relations among different resources (i.e., the nexus approach) at larger spatial scales (e.g., urban level). Moreover, household behavioural attitudes are generally excluded while assessing resource consumption scenarios. This work overcomes previous limitations by proposing a causal-loop structure derived from the literature, from which simulations of different scenarios can be generated that consider the nexus between food, energy and water at the household level. These simulations can provide alternative scenarios to assess the impacts of monetary policies as well as education and communication actions on the enhancement of resource savings and consider both their current use and household preferences. The metropolitan area of Napoli was chosen as the testbed area for the simulations. The results, in relation to the testbed, proved that communication actions would be most appropriate to increase the level of resource savings. The business-as-usual scenario was especially sensitive to variations in individual preferences towards pro-environmental behaviours and showed their higher impacts on the results. Improvements of this method and its derived scenarios in the context of the urban planning process could support the implementation of informed policies towards the conservation of key resources and promotion of sustainable citizen behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Casazza
- Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Napoli ‘Parthenope’, Centro Direzionale, Napoli, Italy
- Interdepartmental Research Centre on Urban and Event Studies (OMERO), University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- * E-mail: (MC); (GL)
| | - Jingyan Xue
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Shupan Du
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Gengyuan Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Watershed Environmental Restoration & Integrated Ecological Regulation, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (MC); (GL)
| | - Sergio Ulgiati
- Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Napoli ‘Parthenope’, Centro Direzionale, Napoli, Italy
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Watershed Environmental Restoration & Integrated Ecological Regulation, Beijing, China
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Ferrantelli F, Chiozzini C, Manfredi F, Giovannelli A, Leone P, Federico M. Simultaneous CD8 + T-Cell Immune Response against SARS-Cov-2 S, M, and N Induced by Endogenously Engineered Extracellular Vesicles in Both Spleen and Lungs. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:240. [PMID: 33801926 PMCID: PMC7999804 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9030240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Most advanced vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 are designed to induce antibodies against spike (S) protein. Differently, we developed an original strategy to induce CD8+ T cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) immunity based on in vivo engineering of extracellular vesicles (EVs). This is a new vaccination approach based on intramuscular injection of DNA expression vectors coding for a biologically inactive HIV-1 Nef protein (Nefmut) with an unusually high efficiency of incorporation into EVs, even when foreign polypeptides are fused to its C-terminus. Nanovesicles containing Nefmut-fused antigens released by muscle cells can freely circulate into the body and are internalized by antigen-presenting cells. Therefore, EV-associated antigens can be cross-presented to prime antigen-specific CD8+ T-cells. To apply this technology to a strategy of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, we designed DNA vectors expressing the products of fusion between Nefmut and different viral antigens, namely N- and C-terminal moieties of S (referred to as S1 and S2), M, and N. We provided evidence that all fusion products are efficiently uploaded in EVs. When the respective DNA vectors were injected in mice, a strong antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immunity became detectable in spleens and, most important, in lung airways. Co-injection of DNA vectors expressing the diverse SARS-CoV-2 antigens resulted in additive immune responses in both spleen and lungs. Hence, DNA vectors expressing Nefmut-based fusion proteins can be proposed for new anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Ferrantelli
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Chiara Chiozzini
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Francesco Manfredi
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Andrea Giovannelli
- National Center for Animal Experimentation and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Patrizia Leone
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Maurizio Federico
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
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46
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Caldarelli G, De Nicola R, Petrocchi M, Pratelli M, Saracco F. Flow of online misinformation during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. EPJ Data Sci 2021; 10:34. [PMID: 34249599 PMCID: PMC8258478 DOI: 10.1140/epjds/s13688-021-00289-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on every human activity and, because of the urgency of finding the proper responses to such an unprecedented emergency, it generated a diffused societal debate. The online version of this discussion was not exempted by the presence of misinformation campaigns, but, differently from what already witnessed in other debates, the COVID-19 -intentional or not- flow of false information put at severe risk the public health, possibly reducing the efficacy of government countermeasures. In this manuscript, we study the effective impact of misinformation in the Italian societal debate on Twitter during the pandemic, focusing on the various discursive communities. In order to extract such communities, we start by focusing on verified users, i.e., accounts whose identity is officially certified by Twitter. We start by considering each couple of verified users and count how many unverified ones interacted with both of them via tweets or retweets: if this number is statically significant, i.e. so great that it cannot be explained only by their activity on the online social network, we can consider the two verified accounts as similar and put a link connecting them in a monopartite network of verified users. The discursive communities can then be found by running a community detection algorithm on this network. We observe that, despite being a mostly scientific subject, the COVID-19 discussion shows a clear division in what results to be different political groups. We filter the network of retweets from random noise and check the presence of messages displaying URLs. By using the well known browser extension NewsGuard, we assess the trustworthiness of the most recurrent news sites, among those tweeted by the political groups. The impact of low reputable posts reaches the 22.1% in the right and center-right wing community and its contribution is even stronger in absolute numbers, due to the activity of this group: 96% of all non reputable URLs shared by political groups come from this community. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1140/epjds/s13688-021-00289-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Caldarelli
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Ed. Alfa, Via Torino 155, 30170 Venezia Mestre, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Ca’ Bottacin, 3911 Dorsoduro Calle Crosera, 30123 Venice, Italy
- IMT School For Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco 19, 55100 Lucca, Italy
| | - Rocco De Nicola
- IMT School For Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco 19, 55100 Lucca, Italy
- CINI – National Laboratory for Cybersecurity, via Ariosto, 25, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Marinella Petrocchi
- IMT School For Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco 19, 55100 Lucca, Italy
- Institute of Informatics and Telematics, National Research Council, via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Manuel Pratelli
- IMT School For Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco 19, 55100 Lucca, Italy
| | - Fabio Saracco
- IMT School For Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco 19, 55100 Lucca, Italy
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Ginestra P, Ferraro RM, Zohar-Hauber K, Abeni A, Giliani S, Ceretti E. Selective Laser Melting and Electron Beam Melting of Ti6Al4V for Orthopedic Applications: A Comparative Study on the Applied Building Direction. Materials (Basel) 2020; 13:E5584. [PMID: 33297551 PMCID: PMC7729448 DOI: 10.3390/ma13235584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The 3D printing process offers several advantages to the medical industry by producing complex and bespoke devices that accurately reproduce customized patient geometries. Despite the recent developments that strongly enhanced the dominance of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques over conventional methods, processes need to be continually optimized and controlled to obtain implants that can fulfill all the requirements of the surgical procedure and the anatomical district of interest. The best outcomes of an implant derive from optimal compromise and balance between a good interaction with the surrounding tissue through cell attachment and reduced inflammatory response mainly caused by a weak interface with the native tissue or bacteria colonization of the implant surface. For these reasons, the chemical, morphological, and mechanical properties of a device need to be designed in order to assure the best performances considering the in vivo environment components. In particular, complex 3D geometries can be produced with high dimensional accuracy but inadequate surface properties due to the layer manufacturing process that always entails the use of post-processing techniques to improve the surface quality, increasing the lead times of the whole process despite the reduction of the supply chain. The goal of this work was to provide a comparison between Ti6Al4V samples fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) and electron beam melting (EBM) with different building directions in relation to the building plate. The results highlighted the influence of the process technique on osteoblast attachment and mineralization compared with the building orientation that showed a limited effect in promoting a proper osseointegration over a long-term period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Ginestra
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, via Branze 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (A.A.); (E.C.)
| | - Rosalba Monica Ferraro
- Institute of Molecular Medicine “Angelo Nocivelli”, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (R.M.F.); (S.G.)
| | - Keren Zohar-Hauber
- Metallurgical and Powders Technologies Lab, Institute of Metals, Technion City, Haifa 320003, Israel;
| | - Andrea Abeni
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, via Branze 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (A.A.); (E.C.)
| | - Silvia Giliani
- Institute of Molecular Medicine “Angelo Nocivelli”, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (R.M.F.); (S.G.)
| | - Elisabetta Ceretti
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, via Branze 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (A.A.); (E.C.)
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Escamilla-García M, Ríos-Romo RA, Melgarejo-Mancilla A, Díaz-Ramírez M, Hernández-Hernández HM, Amaro-Reyes A, Pierro PD, Regalado-González C. Rheological and Antimicrobial Properties of Chitosan and Quinoa Protein Filmogenic Suspensions with Thyme and Rosemary Essential Oils. Foods 2020; 9:E1616. [PMID: 33172144 PMCID: PMC7694767 DOI: 10.3390/foods9111616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Food packaging faces the negative impact of synthetic materials on the environment, and edible coatings offer one alternative from filmogenic suspensions (FS). In this work, an active edible FS based on chitosan (C) and quinoa protein (QP) cross-linked with transglutaminase was produced. Thyme (T) and rosemary (R) essential oils (EOs) were incorporated as antimicrobial agents. Particle size, Z potential, and rheological parameters were evaluated. The antimicrobial activity against Micrococcus luteus (NCIB 8166) and Salmonella sp. (Lignieres 1900) was monitored using atomic force microscopy and image analysis. Results indicate that EOs incorporation into C:QP suspensions did not affect the Z potential, ranging from -46.69 ± 3.19 mV to -46.21 ± 3.83 mV. However, the polydispersity index increased from 0.51 ± 0.07 to 0.80 ± 0.04 in suspensions with EO. The minimum inhibitory concentration of active suspensions against Salmonella sp. was 0.5% (v/v) for thyme and 1% (v/v) for rosemary. Entropy and fractal dimension of the images were used to confirm the antimicrobial effect of EOs, which modified the surface roughness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monserrat Escamilla-García
- Department of Food Research and Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Querétaro, C.U., Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Col. Las Campanas, Querétaro 76010, Mexico; (M.E.-G.); (R.A.R.-R.); (A.M.-M.); (A.A.-R.)
| | - Raquel A. Ríos-Romo
- Department of Food Research and Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Querétaro, C.U., Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Col. Las Campanas, Querétaro 76010, Mexico; (M.E.-G.); (R.A.R.-R.); (A.M.-M.); (A.A.-R.)
| | - Armando Melgarejo-Mancilla
- Department of Food Research and Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Querétaro, C.U., Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Col. Las Campanas, Querétaro 76010, Mexico; (M.E.-G.); (R.A.R.-R.); (A.M.-M.); (A.A.-R.)
| | - Mayra Díaz-Ramírez
- Department of Food Science, Division of Biological Sciences and Health, Autonomous Metropolitan University, Lerma Unit, Avenida de las Garzas N°. 10, El Panteón, Lerma de Villada 52005, Mexico;
| | - Hilda M. Hernández-Hernández
- CONACyT-Center for Research Technological Assistance and Design of the State of Jalisco, A.C. (CIATEJ), Av. Normalistas 800, Volinas de la Normal, Guadalajara 44270, Jalisco, Mexico;
| | - Aldo Amaro-Reyes
- Department of Food Research and Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Querétaro, C.U., Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Col. Las Campanas, Querétaro 76010, Mexico; (M.E.-G.); (R.A.R.-R.); (A.M.-M.); (A.A.-R.)
| | - Prospero Di Pierro
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80126 Naples, Italy;
| | - Carlos Regalado-González
- Department of Food Research and Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Querétaro, C.U., Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Col. Las Campanas, Querétaro 76010, Mexico; (M.E.-G.); (R.A.R.-R.); (A.M.-M.); (A.A.-R.)
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Frappa M, Del Rio Castillo AE, Macedonio F, Politano A, Drioli E, Bonaccorso F, Pellegrini V, Gugliuzza A. A few-layer graphene for advanced composite PVDF membranes dedicated to water desalination: a comparative study. Nanoscale Adv 2020; 2:4728-4739. [PMID: 36132930 PMCID: PMC9417500 DOI: 10.1039/d0na00403k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Membrane distillation is envisaged to be a promising best practice to recover freshwater from seawater with the prospect of building low energy-consuming devices powered by natural and renewable energy sources in remote and less accessible areas. Moreover, there is an additional benefit of integrating this green technology with other well-established operations dedicated to desalination. Today, the development of membrane distillation depends on the productivity-efficiency ratio on a large scale. Despite hydrophobic commercial membranes being widely used, no membrane with suitable morphological and chemical feature is readily available in the market. Thus, there is a real need to identify best practices for developing new efficient membranes for more productive and eco-sustainable membrane distillation devices. Here, we propose engineered few-layer graphene membranes, showing enhanced trans-membrane fluxes and total barrier action against NaCl ions. The obtained performances are linked with filling polymeric membranes with few-layer graphene of 490 nm in lateral size, produced by the wet-jet milling technology. The experimental evidence, together with comparative analyses, confirmed that the use of more largely sized few-layer graphene leads to superior productivity related efficiency trade-off for the membrane distillation process. Herein, it was demonstrated that the quality of exfoliation is a crucial factor for addressing the few-layer graphene supporting the separation capability of the host membranes designed for water desalination.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Frappa
- Institute on Membrane Technology-National Research Council (CNR-ITM) Via Pietro Bucci 17C Rende (CS) 87036 Italy
| | - A E Del Rio Castillo
- Graphene Labs, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego 3016163 Genova Italy
| | - F Macedonio
- Institute on Membrane Technology-National Research Council (CNR-ITM) Via Pietro Bucci 17C Rende (CS) 87036 Italy
| | - A Politano
- Graphene Labs, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego 3016163 Genova Italy
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila Via Vetoio 67100 L'Aquila AQ Italy
| | - E Drioli
- Institute on Membrane Technology-National Research Council (CNR-ITM) Via Pietro Bucci 17C Rende (CS) 87036 Italy
- Department of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, University of Calabria Via P. Bucci 87036 Rende CS Italy
| | - F Bonaccorso
- Graphene Labs, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego 3016163 Genova Italy
- Bedimensional s.p.a Via Albisola 121 16163 Genova Italy
| | - V Pellegrini
- Graphene Labs, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego 3016163 Genova Italy
- Bedimensional s.p.a Via Albisola 121 16163 Genova Italy
| | - A Gugliuzza
- Institute on Membrane Technology-National Research Council (CNR-ITM) Via Pietro Bucci 17C Rende (CS) 87036 Italy
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50
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Mosconi D, Kosmala T, Lunardon M, Neyman A, Bar-Sadan M, Agnoli S, Granozzi G. One-pot synthesis of MoS 2(1-x)Se 2x on N-doped reduced graphene oxide: tailoring chemical and structural properties for photoenhanced hydrogen evolution reaction. Nanoscale Adv 2020; 2:4830-4840. [PMID: 36132882 PMCID: PMC9419742 DOI: 10.1039/d0na00375a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this work we designed a one-pot solvothermal synthesis of MoS2(1-x)Se2x nanosheets directly grown on N-doped reduced graphene oxide (hereafter N-rGO). We optimized the synthesis conditions to control the Se : S ratio, with the aim of tailoring the optoelectronic properties of the resulting nanocomposites for their use as electro- and photoelectro-catalysts in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The synthesis protocol made use of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATM) as MoS2 precursor and dimethyl diselenide (DMDSe) as selenizing agent. By optimizing growth conditions and post-annealing treatments, we produced either partially amorphous or highly crystalline chalcogen-defective electrocatalysts. All samples were tested for the HER in acidic environment, and the best performing among them, for the photoassisted HER. In low crystallinity samples, the introduction of Se is not beneficial for promoting the catalytic activity, and MoS2/N-rGO was the most active electrocatalyst. On the other hand, after the post-annealing treatment and the consequent crystallization of the materials, the best HER performance was obtained for the sample with x = 0.38, which also showed the highest enhancement upon light irradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Mosconi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova Via Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Tomasz Kosmala
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova Via Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Marco Lunardon
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova Via Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Alevtina Neyman
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva Israel
| | - Maya Bar-Sadan
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva Israel
| | - Stefano Agnoli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova Via Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Gaetano Granozzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova Via Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
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