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An integrated approach that combines geophysical surveys and numerical simulations is proposed to study the processes that govern the fluid flow along active fault zones. It is based on the reconstruction of the architecture of the investigated fault system, as well as the identification of possible paths for fluid migration, according to the distribution of geophysical parameters retrieved by multi-methodological geophysical prospecting. The aim is to establish, thanks to constraints deriving from different types of data (e.g., geological, geochemical and/or hydrogeological data), an accurate 3D petrophysical model of the survey area to be used for simulating, by numerical modelling, the physical processes likely taking place in the imaged system and its temporal evolution. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is tested in an active fault zone in the Matese Mts (southern Italy), where recent, accurate geochemical measurements have registered very high anomalous values of non-volcanic natural emissions of CO2. In particular, a multi-methodological geophysical survey, consisting of electrical resistivity tomography, self-potential and passive seismic measurements, integrated with geological data, was chosen to define the 3D petrophysical model of the investigated system and to identify possible source geometries. Three different scenarios were assumed corresponding to three different CO2 source models. The one that hypothesizes a source located along the fault plane at the depth of the carbonate basement was found to be the best candidate to represent the test site. Indeed, the performed numerical simulations provide CO2 flow estimates comparable with the values observed in the investigated area. These findings are promising for gas hazards, as they suggest that numerical simulations of different CO2 degassing scenarios could forecast possible critical variations in the amount of CO2 emitted near the fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas leakage from deep geologic storage formations to the Earth's surface is one of the main hazards in geological carbon sequestration and storage. Permeable sediment covers together with natural pathways, such as faults and/or fracture systems, are the main factors controlling surface leakages. Therefore, the characterization of natural systems, where large amounts of natural gases are released, can be helpful for understanding the effects of potential gas leaks from carbon dioxide storage systems. In this framework, we propose a combined use of high-resolution geoelectrical investigations (i.e. resistivity tomography and self-potential surveys) for reconstructing shallow buried fracture networks in the caprock and detecting preferential gas migration pathways before it enters the atmosphere. Such methodologies appear to be among the most suitable for the research purposes because of the strong dependence of the electrical properties of water-bearing permeable rock, or unconsolidated materials, on many factors relevant to CO 2 storage (i.e. porosity, fracturing, water saturation, etc.). The effectiveness of the suggested geoelectrical approach is tested in an area of natural gas degassing (mainly CH 4 ) located in the active fault zone of the Bolle della Malvizza (Southern Apennines, Italy), which could represent a natural analogue of gas storage sites due to the significant thicknesses (hundreds of meters) of impermeable rock (caprock) that is generally required to prevent carbon dioxide stored at depth from rising to the surface. The obtained 3D geophysical model, validated by the good correlation with geochemical data acquired in the study area and the available geological information, provided a structural and physical characterization of the investigated subsurface volume. Moreover, the time variations of the observed geophysical parameters allowed the identification of possible migration pathways of fluids to the surface., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE (SPL) proteins constitute a large family of transcription factors known to play key roles in growth and developmental processes, including juvenile-to-adult and vegetative-to-reproductive phase transitions. This makes SPLs interesting targets for precision breeding in plants of the Nicotiana genus used as e.g. recombinant biofactories. We report the identification of 49 SPL genes in Nicotiana tabacum cv. K326 and 43 SPL genes in Nicotiana benthamiana LAB strain, which were classified into eight phylogenetic groups according to the SPL classification in Arabidopsis. Exon-intron gene structure and DNA-binding domains were highly conserved between homeologues and orthologues. Thirty of the NbSPL genes and 33 of the NtSPL genes were found to be possible targets of microRNA 156. The expression of SPL genes in leaves was analysed by RNA-seq at three different stages, revealing that genes not under miR156 control were in general constitutively expressed at high levels, whereas miR156-regulated genes showed lower expression, often developmentally regulated. We selected the N. benthamiana SPL13_1a gene as target for a CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out experiment. We show here that a full knock-out in this single gene leads to a significant delay in flowering time, a trait that could be exploited to increase biomass for recombinant protein production., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Migration is a phenomenon related to adverse impacts, including higher risk for psychological distress and trauma symptoms, highlighting the strong need for effective psychological treatments to help migrants. However, the use of expressive writing intervention (EW) has not been examined in this population. The aims of the study were to evaluate: (a) the effectiveness of a trauma-focused EW on psychological distress, trauma symptoms, alexithymia, and hope for the future in migrants, and (b) the role of alexithymia and hope for the future in the association with the EW and the psychological symptoms., Method: Twenty-eight migrants were enrolled in a multiarm double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) that included three groups: (a) trauma-focused EW, (b) neutral EW, and (c) control. Participants completed self-report measures at pretreatment, immediately after the intervention, and at 1 month follow-up. The study complied with the guidelines of Consolidate Standard of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist and was retrospectively recorded on ClinicalTrials.gov., Results: Trauma-focused EW was related to an immediate improvement in phobic anxiety and positive total symptoms and improvement in somatization, global severity index, and hope for the future at follow-up. Trauma symptoms and alexithymia did not show significant effects. Factorial regressions showed that the interaction group per time per hope for the future was a significant predictor on the phobic anxiety., Discussion: EW may be an effective tool for reducing migrant's distress and may have long-term improvements in mental health. Moreover, the results suggest the potential influence of the hope for the future on anxiety in migrants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).