Integrated Calendar

Type Ia supernovae are fundamental phenomena in nature. They are one of the leading
distributors of heavy chemical elements and, in some cases, important production sites (e.g., iron). Type Ia supernovae are very homogenous and bright, allowing their distance to be measured on cosmological scales.
In recent years, measurements of Type Ia supernovae have led to the discovery that the universe's expansion is
accelerating, suggesting the existence of dark energy. Type Ia supernovae are likely thermonuclear explosions
of white-dwarf stars, which are sufficiently dense to allow explosive thermonuclear burning if adequately ignited. However, a robust comparison of theoretical scenarios for the progenitor systems to observations is challenging due to the inability to accurately calculate the dynamics of the explosion and the emitted radiation. We have developed novel observational and numerical methods by exploiting the physical principles behind Type Ia supernovae. The new observational techniques allow the derivation of a specific luminosity-width correlation that does not require radiation transfer calculations for comparison. The new numerical methods allow for the first time to calculate this luminosity-width correlation with a percent accuracy for multidimensional
progenitor scenarios with current computational facilities. We show that all known Type Ia supernova models fail to
reproduce the observed luminosity-width correlation.

Molecules that can undergo self-assembly are of great interest for the development of new materials, sensors, biolabels…. In some cases the assembly can lead to an enhancement of the emission, a change in the luminescence energy and even to unexpected biological phenomena.
The talk will illustrate some of the recent results on the self-assembly of platinum complexes and their evolution in solution[1]. Some water soluble compounds where studied to follow the self-assembly even in vivo and the resulting reactivity/toxicity of such species. We employed transparent polyps, Hydra vulgaris and an extraordinary phenomenon was detected with one of the complex that showed a clear effect on pluripotent stem cell proliferation, especially at low doses.
The stabilization of transient species, formed in the assembly process can be achieved using cage type structures can lead to their stabilization or even existence in solution, in a condition out of equilibrium. We recently demonstrated[2] that it is possible to entrap intermediate states of luminescent assemblies and prevent their thermodynamic evolution towards the equilibrium state. Such cages are also the carriers for important drugs do to their destruction inside cells. Their biodistribution is quite unique and they are able to escape macrophages uptake.[3]

References
[1] A. Aliprandi, M. Mauro, L. De Cola Nature Chem., 2016, 8, 10-15
[2] P. Picchetti, G. Moreno-Alcántar, L. Talamini, A. Mourgout, A. Aliprandi, L. De Cola J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 7681-7687.
[3] P. Picchetti et al. ACS Nano 2021, 15, 9701–9716

Viruses are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on Earth and can have a profound effect on biogeochemical cycles. In the sunlit ocean, viral lysis of 20-40% of hosts daily generates 20% of the dissolved organic carbon pool. Viruses can also affect their host’s metabolism during infection through expression of horizontally transferred host metabolic genes. While viruses in the ocean have been studied for over two decades, viral ecology and its effects have been neglected in other environments. I will present several of my studies that show how viruses in the ocean and in soil may affect their environment as well as ours through expression of metabolic genes and host-specific mortality. I’ll also discuss the current limitations in soil viral ecology, and technologies that can help us move forward.