0000000000239472
AUTHOR
M. Valenza
Integrated hydrogeochemical and geophysical surveys for a study of sea-water intrusion
The CFTA Department of the University of Palermo in collaboration with ARPA SICILIA has carried out a study of the sea intrusion phenomenon in the aquifer between the cities of Marsala and Mazara del Vallo (south-western Sicily) using geophysical techniques (TDEM, ERT and MASW) and geochemical analysis of well water. The aim of the research was to optimize the acquisition techniques, data processing and data interpretation for the geometry reconstruction of aquifers, their characterization, and the determination of concentration of pollutants. The analysis of the geophysical results reveals the existence of very low resistivity values in correspondence of the area from the coastline to a ki…
Molecular and isotopic composition of free hydrocarbon gases from Sicily, Italy
Chemical and isotopic data have been used as geochemical tracers for a genetic characterization of hydrocarbon gases from a total of eleven manifestations located in Eastern and Central-Southern Sicily (Italy). The molecular analysis shows that almost all the samples are enriched in methane (up to 93.2% Vol.), with the exception of four gas samples collected around Mt. Etna showing high mantle-derived CO2 content. Methane isotope signatures suggest that these are thermogenic gases or a mixture between thermogenic gases and microbial gases. Although samples from some mud volcanoes in Southern Sicily (Macalube di Aragona) show isotope signatures consistent with a mixing model between thermoge…
Vitamin A Inhibits Doxorubicin-Induced Membrane Lipid Peroxidation in Rat Tissues in Vivo
The antioxidant activity of vitamin A against lipid peroxidation induced by doxorubicin in rat tissues in vivo was investigated. A single ip injection of doxorubicin (30 mg/kg body wt) markedly raised the level of peroxidated lipids measured as TBARS and conjugated dienes in heart and brain membrane preparations. Other tissues, such as retina and liver, did not show any increase of lipid peroxides over control values. Pretreatment of rats with two daily subcutaneous injections of retinol palmitate (0.25 g/kg body wt), for 2 days, before injecting doxorubicin, inhibited peroxidation of heart and brain membrane lipids. The antioxidant action of vitamin A does not appear to be mediated by enha…
THE TROPOSPHERIC PROCESSING OF ACIDIC GASES AND HYDROGEN SULPHIDE IN VOLCANIC GAS PLUMES AS INFERRED FROM FIELD AND MODEL INVESTIGATIONS
International audience; Improving the constraints on the atmospheric fate and depletion rates of acidic compounds persistently emitted by non-erupting (quiescent) volcanoes is important for quantitatively predicting the environmental impact of volcanic gas plumes. Here, we present new experimental data coupled with modelling studies to investigate the chemical processing of acidic volcanogenic species during tropospheric dispersion. Diffusive tube samplers were deployed at Mount Etna, a very active open-conduit basaltic volcano in eastern Sicily, and Vulcano Island, a closed-conduit quiescent volcano in the Aeolian Islands (northern Sicily). Sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), h…