Microplastics in the Adriatic Sea: characterization of the associated microbiota, of the adsorbed toxic compounds, and of the impact on unicellular model organisms
Camerino - ITALIA
Jiliang - CINA
Università degli Studi di Camerino
Angela Piersanti
Dipartimento:
Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria
Abstract
The objectives of this research project are: i) identification of microplastics in the sea sediments in a protected area of the Adriatic Sea, the Regional Natural Reserved Area Sentina in San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), and of the associated microorganisms, including species relevant for pathogenicity or for potential activity in bioremediation (plastics degradation); ii) study of genes and biological processes activated by plastic contamination and by their released substances in unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms, specifically the protozoan ciliate Euplotes crassus, for which the genome is annotated and some strains were collected in the same protected area of the Adriatic Sea.
Time-resolved high-temperature and high-pressure studies of functional substances
Camerino - ITALIA
Grenoble - FRANCIA
Università degli Studi di Camerino
Yimin Mijiti
Dipartimento:
Scuola di Scienze e Tecnologie
Abstract
The project was aimed to develop high pressure high temperature experimental techniques and studies of materials under extreme pressure and temperature conditions taking advantage of the scientific opportunities offered by the state of the art synchrotron light sources. As a result of the collaborative effort of postdoc fellow and researchers from University of Camerino and BM23 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), a high temperature diamond anvil cell system partially build by BETSA company has been tested, further developed and tested for x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements under high pressure and temperature. Properties of several substances of interest for basic and applied sciences (e.g, Se, amorphous GeSe2, eutectic GaIn liquid, Si nanowires, metallic glasses) have been studied under extreme conditions using synchrotron (EXAFS, XRD, mainly at ESRF) and laboratory techniques (Raman spectroscopy, at the University of Camerino). Results have been published on several scientific journals and are intended to improve the experimental strategies for the studies of matter under extreme conditions, providing quantitative local structural information for understanding the properties of disordered (liquids, amorphous solids) and nano-sized substances under high pressure and temperature conditions. Those results are also directly relevant to current topics in the basic condensed matter physics, earth and materials sciences.