Michele Giani - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Michele Giani
Chemical and biological properties of a phenol-water extract from leptospira interrogans. Evidence for the absence of lipopolysaccharide
Infection, Jul 1, 1988
Leptospira interrogans, serovar copenhageni was extracted by the phenol-water method and the resu... more Leptospira interrogans, serovar copenhageni was extracted by the phenol-water method and the resulting preparation examined for chemical composition and endotoxic activity. Chemical analysis revealed that a number of sugars were present, however, the amount of lipid content was very low. Further, the preparation was devoid of characteristic endotoxic properties, like lethal toxicity, pyrogenicity and the property to induce the local Shwartzman reaction. The extract, however, was active in the limulus lysate gelation test and in the induction of monocyte activation. It is concluded that the leptospira preparation is devoid of endotoxin properties, both from the chemical and from the biological point of view.
Le Mucillagini: Nell' Adriatico e nel Tirreno
Analisi del fenomeno infortunistico nella metalmeccanica leggera della Val d'Elsa Senese
In-situ comparison of eight different sensor technologies to measure pCO2 and pH on a cabled observatory
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, Apr 1, 2015
Interactive comment on "First automatic pH measurements in the bottom layer of the Ria de Vigo (N... more Interactive comment on "First automatic pH measurements in the bottom layer of the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain)" by Juan L. Herrera et al.
Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal, 2010
Contamination of soils by a variety of pollutants in urbanized and rapidly urbanizing regions is ... more Contamination of soils by a variety of pollutants in urbanized and rapidly urbanizing regions is an ongoing problem in the world. Our objective in this study was to determine the contamination levels of trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban residential soils. Surface (0-15 cm) samples of soils were collected and analyzed from an urbanized region of Florida (Pinellas County: 725 km 2 , population: 921,482), for basic soil properties, trace metals, and PAHs. The pH of urban residential soils was between 5.4 and 8.0, the electrical conductivity ranged from 18 to 1170 µS cm −1 with an average value of 233 µS cm −1 , and total organic carbon of soils varied widely from 1 to 88 g kg −1. Among the major elements determined in soils, contents of Mehlich 1 (M1) Ca were highest at 2330 mg kg −1 followed by M1-Mg (136 mg kg −1) and M1-Al (135 mg kg −1). Among the trace metals in soils, mean M1-Zn values were highest (18.6 mg kg −1) followed by M1-Fe (10 mg kg −1) and M1-Mn (8.6 mg kg −1). The contents of total PAHs (sum of the individual 14 PAHs) in urban residential soils varied from 83 to 2371 µg kg −1 , with a mean value of 731 µg kg −1. Source analysis of PAHs in soils using molecular diagnostic indices suggested that PAHs in soils originated from both petrogenic and pyrolytic sources. Our results can be used to set baseline values of PAHs in urban residential soils of Florida and monitor changes in soil metals and PAHs values over a period of time due to anthropogenic inputs.
Journal of Marine Systems, 2015
The ocean's continental margins face strong and rapid change, forced by a combination of direct h... more The ocean's continental margins face strong and rapid change, forced by a combination of direct human activity, anthropogenic CO 2-induced climate change, and natural variability. Stimulated by discussions in Goa, India at the IMBER IMBIZO III, we (1) provide an overview of the drivers of biogeochemical variation and change on margins, (2) compare temporal trends in hydrographic and biogeochemical data across different margins (3) review ecosystem responses to these changes, (4) highlight the importance of margin time series for detecting and attributing change and (5) examine societal responses to changing margin biogeochemistry and ecosystems. We synthesize information over a wide range of margin settings in order to identify the commonalities and distinctions among continental margin ecosystems. Key drivers of biogeochemical variation include long-term climate cycles, CO 2-induced warming, acidification, and deoxygenation, as well as sea level rise, eutrophication, hydrologic and water cycle alteration, changing land use, fishing, and species invasion. Ecosystem responses are complex and impact major margin services including primary production, fisheries production, nutrient cycling, shoreline protection, chemical buffering, and biodiversity. Despite regional differences, the societal consequences of these changes are unarguably large and mandate coherent actions to reduce, mitigate and adapt to multiple stressors on continental margins.
Variation of physico-chemical features in area of freshwater discharge: the gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea)
Nutrients ratio trends in the northern Adriatic Sea and their potential effects on the ecosystem
Influence of physical and biological factors on seasonal variability of North Adriatic's carbonate system
36th International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems (ECOS 2023)
The idea of a Thermodynamic cost associated with flows in a network of irreversible thermodynamic... more The idea of a Thermodynamic cost associated with flows in a network of irreversible thermodynamic processes is widely developed in the context of energy engineering, but the general formulation of the Exergy Cost Theory-ECT allows in principle its application also to the biochemical networks. This paper describes the application of the exergy analysis to a generic metabolic network and an approach for calculating the exergy costs associated with all the flows present in the network, according to the ECT. The main perspective is to use the exergy cost information for defining additional constraints in the Flux Balance Analysis-FBA of the bacterial metabolic network. Which could help identifying directions for the optimization of the biomass production process, and the enhancement of the biofuel use in industry. In fact, this approach mainly relays on the maximization of the produced biomass, for identifying all metabolites fluxes in a biochemical network, with the constraints expressed by the stoichiometric relations of all reactions within the network. Therefore, some additional constraints have to be introduced, in order for guiding the optimization algorithm towards thermodynamically feasible solutions. The expectation is that, by introducing the actual exergy cost, with their clear physical meaning, the results would be more consistent with the experimental finding, reported in literature, for a wide range of possible environmental conditions. By applying the unit exergy cost concept, a deeper understanding of the reason why the reaction paths of the same metabolic network changes, in different environmental conditions, is also expected to be achieved.
Marine Biology
Shallow-water hydrothermal vents are extreme environments characterized by high temperatures, low... more Shallow-water hydrothermal vents are extreme environments characterized by high temperatures, low pH, and high CO2 concentrations; therefore, they are considered as suitable laboratories for studying the effect of global changes on marine microbes. We hypothesized a direct effect of vents on prokaryotic community structure and functioning in the Panarea Island’s hydrothermal system. Sampling was conducted along a 9-station transect characterized by three active emission points. The water column was stratified with a thermocline at 25 m depth and a deep chlorophyll maximum between 50 and 100 m. Prokaryotic abundance ranged from 0.2 to 1.5 × 109 cells L−1, prokaryotic carbon production from 2.4 to 75.4 ng C L−1 h−1, and exoenzymatic activities degrading proteins, phosphorylated compounds, and polysaccharides were on the order of 4–28, 2–31 and 0.2–4.16 nM h−1, respectively. While microbial abundance and production were shaped by the water column's physical structure, alkaline phos...
Il tempo del pianeta Terra e il tempo dell’uomo: Le geoscienze fra passato e futuro, 2019
Papers, data, figures, maps and any other material published are covered by the copyright own by ... more Papers, data, figures, maps and any other material published are covered by the copyright own by the Società Geologica Italiana. La Società Geologica Italiana, i curatori scientifici non sono responsabili delle opinioni espresse e delle affermazioni pubblicate negli articoli: l'autore/i è/sono il/i solo/i responsabile/i.
Frontiers in Marine Science
Ocean acidification (OA) is a serious consequence of climate change with complex organism-to-ecos... more Ocean acidification (OA) is a serious consequence of climate change with complex organism-to-ecosystem effects that have been observed through field observations but are mainly derived from experimental studies. Although OA trends and the resulting biological impacts are likely exacerbated in the semi-enclosed and highly populated Mediterranean Sea, some fundamental knowledge gaps still exist. These gaps are at tributed to both the uneven capacity for OA research that exists between Mediterranean countries, as well as to the subtle and long-term biological, physical and chemical interactions that define OA impacts. In this paper, we systematically analyzed the different aspects of OA research in the Mediterranean region based on two sources: the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Ocean Acidification International Coordination Center (OA-ICC) database, and an extensive survey. Our analysis shows that 1) there is an uneven geographic capacity in OA research, a...
Frontiers in Marine Science
The Antarctic continental shelf is known as a critical anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) sink due to its c... more The Antarctic continental shelf is known as a critical anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) sink due to its cold waters, high primary productivity, and unique circulation, which allow it to sequester large amounts of organic and inorganic carbon into the deep ocean. However, climate change is currently causing significant alteration to the Antarctic marine carbon cycle, with unknown consequences on the Cant uptake capacity, making model-based estimates of future ocean acidification of polar regions highly uncertain. Here, we investigated the marine carbonate system in the Ross Sea in order to assess the current anthropogenic carbon content and how physical–biological processes can control the Cant sequestration along the shelf-slope continuum. The Winter Water mass generated from convective events was characterized by high Cant level (28 µmol kg−1) as a consequence of the mixed layer break-up during the cold season, whereas old and less-ventilated Circumpolar Deep Water entering the Ross Sea re...
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during cruise ECO2-7
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during cruise ECO2-6
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during cruise ECO2-4
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during URANIA cruise PaCO2
Chemical characterisation of mucilaginous aggregates of the Tyrrhenian Sea
SAME - 11th Symposium on Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 2009
Chemical and biological properties of a phenol-water extract from leptospira interrogans. Evidence for the absence of lipopolysaccharide
Infection, Jul 1, 1988
Leptospira interrogans, serovar copenhageni was extracted by the phenol-water method and the resu... more Leptospira interrogans, serovar copenhageni was extracted by the phenol-water method and the resulting preparation examined for chemical composition and endotoxic activity. Chemical analysis revealed that a number of sugars were present, however, the amount of lipid content was very low. Further, the preparation was devoid of characteristic endotoxic properties, like lethal toxicity, pyrogenicity and the property to induce the local Shwartzman reaction. The extract, however, was active in the limulus lysate gelation test and in the induction of monocyte activation. It is concluded that the leptospira preparation is devoid of endotoxin properties, both from the chemical and from the biological point of view.
Le Mucillagini: Nell' Adriatico e nel Tirreno
Analisi del fenomeno infortunistico nella metalmeccanica leggera della Val d'Elsa Senese
In-situ comparison of eight different sensor technologies to measure pCO2 and pH on a cabled observatory
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, Apr 1, 2015
Interactive comment on "First automatic pH measurements in the bottom layer of the Ria de Vigo (N... more Interactive comment on "First automatic pH measurements in the bottom layer of the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain)" by Juan L. Herrera et al.
Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal, 2010
Contamination of soils by a variety of pollutants in urbanized and rapidly urbanizing regions is ... more Contamination of soils by a variety of pollutants in urbanized and rapidly urbanizing regions is an ongoing problem in the world. Our objective in this study was to determine the contamination levels of trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban residential soils. Surface (0-15 cm) samples of soils were collected and analyzed from an urbanized region of Florida (Pinellas County: 725 km 2 , population: 921,482), for basic soil properties, trace metals, and PAHs. The pH of urban residential soils was between 5.4 and 8.0, the electrical conductivity ranged from 18 to 1170 µS cm −1 with an average value of 233 µS cm −1 , and total organic carbon of soils varied widely from 1 to 88 g kg −1. Among the major elements determined in soils, contents of Mehlich 1 (M1) Ca were highest at 2330 mg kg −1 followed by M1-Mg (136 mg kg −1) and M1-Al (135 mg kg −1). Among the trace metals in soils, mean M1-Zn values were highest (18.6 mg kg −1) followed by M1-Fe (10 mg kg −1) and M1-Mn (8.6 mg kg −1). The contents of total PAHs (sum of the individual 14 PAHs) in urban residential soils varied from 83 to 2371 µg kg −1 , with a mean value of 731 µg kg −1. Source analysis of PAHs in soils using molecular diagnostic indices suggested that PAHs in soils originated from both petrogenic and pyrolytic sources. Our results can be used to set baseline values of PAHs in urban residential soils of Florida and monitor changes in soil metals and PAHs values over a period of time due to anthropogenic inputs.
Journal of Marine Systems, 2015
The ocean's continental margins face strong and rapid change, forced by a combination of direct h... more The ocean's continental margins face strong and rapid change, forced by a combination of direct human activity, anthropogenic CO 2-induced climate change, and natural variability. Stimulated by discussions in Goa, India at the IMBER IMBIZO III, we (1) provide an overview of the drivers of biogeochemical variation and change on margins, (2) compare temporal trends in hydrographic and biogeochemical data across different margins (3) review ecosystem responses to these changes, (4) highlight the importance of margin time series for detecting and attributing change and (5) examine societal responses to changing margin biogeochemistry and ecosystems. We synthesize information over a wide range of margin settings in order to identify the commonalities and distinctions among continental margin ecosystems. Key drivers of biogeochemical variation include long-term climate cycles, CO 2-induced warming, acidification, and deoxygenation, as well as sea level rise, eutrophication, hydrologic and water cycle alteration, changing land use, fishing, and species invasion. Ecosystem responses are complex and impact major margin services including primary production, fisheries production, nutrient cycling, shoreline protection, chemical buffering, and biodiversity. Despite regional differences, the societal consequences of these changes are unarguably large and mandate coherent actions to reduce, mitigate and adapt to multiple stressors on continental margins.
Variation of physico-chemical features in area of freshwater discharge: the gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea)
Nutrients ratio trends in the northern Adriatic Sea and their potential effects on the ecosystem
Influence of physical and biological factors on seasonal variability of North Adriatic's carbonate system
36th International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems (ECOS 2023)
The idea of a Thermodynamic cost associated with flows in a network of irreversible thermodynamic... more The idea of a Thermodynamic cost associated with flows in a network of irreversible thermodynamic processes is widely developed in the context of energy engineering, but the general formulation of the Exergy Cost Theory-ECT allows in principle its application also to the biochemical networks. This paper describes the application of the exergy analysis to a generic metabolic network and an approach for calculating the exergy costs associated with all the flows present in the network, according to the ECT. The main perspective is to use the exergy cost information for defining additional constraints in the Flux Balance Analysis-FBA of the bacterial metabolic network. Which could help identifying directions for the optimization of the biomass production process, and the enhancement of the biofuel use in industry. In fact, this approach mainly relays on the maximization of the produced biomass, for identifying all metabolites fluxes in a biochemical network, with the constraints expressed by the stoichiometric relations of all reactions within the network. Therefore, some additional constraints have to be introduced, in order for guiding the optimization algorithm towards thermodynamically feasible solutions. The expectation is that, by introducing the actual exergy cost, with their clear physical meaning, the results would be more consistent with the experimental finding, reported in literature, for a wide range of possible environmental conditions. By applying the unit exergy cost concept, a deeper understanding of the reason why the reaction paths of the same metabolic network changes, in different environmental conditions, is also expected to be achieved.
Marine Biology
Shallow-water hydrothermal vents are extreme environments characterized by high temperatures, low... more Shallow-water hydrothermal vents are extreme environments characterized by high temperatures, low pH, and high CO2 concentrations; therefore, they are considered as suitable laboratories for studying the effect of global changes on marine microbes. We hypothesized a direct effect of vents on prokaryotic community structure and functioning in the Panarea Island’s hydrothermal system. Sampling was conducted along a 9-station transect characterized by three active emission points. The water column was stratified with a thermocline at 25 m depth and a deep chlorophyll maximum between 50 and 100 m. Prokaryotic abundance ranged from 0.2 to 1.5 × 109 cells L−1, prokaryotic carbon production from 2.4 to 75.4 ng C L−1 h−1, and exoenzymatic activities degrading proteins, phosphorylated compounds, and polysaccharides were on the order of 4–28, 2–31 and 0.2–4.16 nM h−1, respectively. While microbial abundance and production were shaped by the water column's physical structure, alkaline phos...
Il tempo del pianeta Terra e il tempo dell’uomo: Le geoscienze fra passato e futuro, 2019
Papers, data, figures, maps and any other material published are covered by the copyright own by ... more Papers, data, figures, maps and any other material published are covered by the copyright own by the Società Geologica Italiana. La Società Geologica Italiana, i curatori scientifici non sono responsabili delle opinioni espresse e delle affermazioni pubblicate negli articoli: l'autore/i è/sono il/i solo/i responsabile/i.
Frontiers in Marine Science
Ocean acidification (OA) is a serious consequence of climate change with complex organism-to-ecos... more Ocean acidification (OA) is a serious consequence of climate change with complex organism-to-ecosystem effects that have been observed through field observations but are mainly derived from experimental studies. Although OA trends and the resulting biological impacts are likely exacerbated in the semi-enclosed and highly populated Mediterranean Sea, some fundamental knowledge gaps still exist. These gaps are at tributed to both the uneven capacity for OA research that exists between Mediterranean countries, as well as to the subtle and long-term biological, physical and chemical interactions that define OA impacts. In this paper, we systematically analyzed the different aspects of OA research in the Mediterranean region based on two sources: the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Ocean Acidification International Coordination Center (OA-ICC) database, and an extensive survey. Our analysis shows that 1) there is an uneven geographic capacity in OA research, a...
Frontiers in Marine Science
The Antarctic continental shelf is known as a critical anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) sink due to its c... more The Antarctic continental shelf is known as a critical anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) sink due to its cold waters, high primary productivity, and unique circulation, which allow it to sequester large amounts of organic and inorganic carbon into the deep ocean. However, climate change is currently causing significant alteration to the Antarctic marine carbon cycle, with unknown consequences on the Cant uptake capacity, making model-based estimates of future ocean acidification of polar regions highly uncertain. Here, we investigated the marine carbonate system in the Ross Sea in order to assess the current anthropogenic carbon content and how physical–biological processes can control the Cant sequestration along the shelf-slope continuum. The Winter Water mass generated from convective events was characterized by high Cant level (28 µmol kg−1) as a consequence of the mixed layer break-up during the cold season, whereas old and less-ventilated Circumpolar Deep Water entering the Ross Sea re...
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during cruise ECO2-7
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during cruise ECO2-6
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during cruise ECO2-4
Hydrochemistry measured on water bottle samples during URANIA cruise PaCO2
Chemical characterisation of mucilaginous aggregates of the Tyrrhenian Sea
SAME - 11th Symposium on Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 2009