FAIMALI , Marco

Superhydrophobic coating technology is regarded as an attractive possibility for the protection of materials in a sea environment. DC techniques are a useful tool to characterize metals' behavior in seawater in the presence/absence of coatings and/or corrosion inhibitors. In this work, investigations concerning Al-5%Mg alloy with and without a...

Widespread contamination of coastal environments by emerging compounds includes low concentrations of pharmaceuticals. These pollutants are not currently incorporated in monitoring programs despite their effects on non-target organisms are very little documented. Among the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants,...

We investigated the biophysical properties of the transport mediated by ion channels in hemocytes from the hemolymph of the bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis. Besides other transporters, mytilus hemocytes possess a specialized channel sensitive to the osmotic pressure with functional properties similar to those of other transport proteins...

Transparent ceramic materials may be used as optical windows, sensors, gas-tight components, etc. in specific marine applications by integration into metallic structures through joining procedures. In such systems the evaluation of galvanic effects between base alloys and compounds obtained during brazing is crucial. In this work, the galvanic...

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are increasingly used in a wide range of consumer products and such an extensive use raises questions about their safety and environmental toxicity. We investigated the potential toxicity of Ag-NPs in the marine ecosystem by analyzing the effects on several organisms belonging to different trophic levels. Algae...

Blooms of benthic dinoflagellates of the genus Ostreopsis (mainly O. cf. ovata and occasionally O. cf. siamensis) represent a serious concern for humans in the Med- iterranean area, due to production of palytoxin-like com- pounds listed among the most potent marine toxins known. In this work, six strains of Ostreopsis sp. from Cyprus Island...

The genus Ostreopsis E.J. Schmidt includes harmful benthic species that have been reported worldwide in both tropical and temperate regions. To date, genetic studies stated that Mediterranean Sea hosts two genotypes corresponding to the morphotypes of O. cf. ovata and O. cf. siamensis; moreover, a new genotype of Ostreopsis sp. was found along...

Ostreopsis cf. ovata is a harmful benthic dinoflagellate, widespread along most of the Mediterranean coasts. It produces several toxins and variable amounts of mucus that may totally cover substrates, especially during the stationary phase of blooms, when cells are aggregated into a mucilaginous matrix. Studies on different aspects of the...