Sounds Stimulation on In Vitro HL1 Cells: A Pilot Study and a Theoretical Physical Model

Mechanical vibrations seem to affect the behaviour of different cell types and the functions of different organs. Pressure waves, including acoustic waves (sounds), could affect cytoskeletal molecules via coherent changes in their spatial organization and mechano-transduction signalling. We analyzed the sounds spectra and their fractal features. Cardiac muscle HL1 cells were exposed to different sounds, were stained for cytoskeletal markers (phalloidin, beta-actin, alpha-tubulin, alpha-actinin-1), and studied with multifractal analysis (using FracLac for ImageJ). A single cell was live-imaged and its dynamic contractility changes in response to each different sound were analysed (using Musclemotion for ImageJ). Different sound stimuli seem to influence the contractility and the spatial organization of HL1 cells, resulting in a different localization and fluorescence emission of cytoskeletal proteins. Since the cellular behaviour seems to correlate with the fractal structure of the sound used, we speculate that it can influence the cells by virtue of the different sound waves’ geometric properties that we have photographed and filmed. A theoretical physical model is proposed to explain our results, based on the coherent molecular dynamics. We stress the role of the systemic view in the understanding of the biological activity.     

Pleurotusostreatus and Agaricus subrufescens: investigation of chemical composition and antioxidant properties of these mushrooms cultivated with different handmade and commercial supplements

In this study, the chemical composition, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ORAC and FRAP assays) of A. subrufescens and P. ostreatus, cultivated with handmade and commercials supplements, were compared. Additionally, the compounds ergosterol, saccharopine, and hexitol were identified in A. subrufescens by HPLC-MS/MS. The antioxidant compound p-coumaric acid and dihexoses was found in both mushroom species. A. subrufescens presented higher total phenolic content (73.8 ± 0.6 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹) and antioxidant activity than P. ostreatus (16.6 ± 0.5 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹). The handmade supplement based on the waste of noble grains presented statistically similar phenolic content to the mushrooms cultivated with commercial ones Spawn Mate II SE (86.1 ± 1.4 and 92.9 ± 0.3 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹, respectively). Therefore, the results support the use of handmade supplements based on agro-wastes as a viable alternative to the use of high-cost commercial ones.     

Influence of irrigation with lagooned urban wastewater on chemical and microbiological soil parameters in a citrus orchard under Mediterranean condition

The reduced availability of water resources in semi-arid Mediterranean regions requires an efficient use of supply sources. Urban wastewater, after treatment to minimise health hazards, may constitute an important resource for irrigation in areas characterised by intensive agriculture. These considerations have motivated an investigation (during the irrigation season 1996) of the dynamics of microbial biomass in the soil of a citrus orchard in eastern Sicily, which has been irrigated for 15 years with lagooned urban wastewater, to evaluate the effects of this practice on soil fertility. The analyses of parameters regarding soil microbial biomass (microbial carbon and microbial nitrogen, soluble carbon and nitrogen, cumulative respiration, respiratory quotient and enzymatic activity in the soil) have confirmed that the evolution of soil microflora is directly conditioned by the type of water used for irrigation and climatic conditions. Just before the beginning of the irrigation season (May), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soluble C, cumulative respiration and enzymatic activity were significantly higher in the soil irrigated with wastewater with respect to the same soil irrigated with 'clear' water; the qCO2 was significantly lower. In June, after 1 month of irrigation, both soils showed an increase of all microbial parameters except for enzymatic activity and qCO2 which showed a significant reduction. In September, at the end of the irrigation period, there was a decrease of almost all investigated parameters in both plots, which was more evident in the soil irrigated with 'clear' water. The microbial biomass of the soil irrigated with wastewater, during the irrigation period, did not undergo any negative effects, having an evolution analogous to the plot irrigated with 'clear' water. The use of lagooned wastewater after three lustrums has shown, particularly in the dry season, an increase in quantity of easily available nutrients, with an improvement of the metabolic efficiency of soil microflora coupled with a more marked activity of total hydrolase and phosphatases. The variations of the parameters related to the soil microflora were strongly influenced by the seasonal climatic trend.     

Westinghouse Chapter 11 Bankruptcy: National Security Also an Issue

For over a century, the name “Westinghouse Electric” has been synonymous with the electricity industry here and abroad, often spoken in the same breath as titans such as Edison and Tesla. Within the industry itself, Westinghouse is legendary as one of the pioneers of nuclear power generation, foremost as the builder of the world's first commercial atomic reactor some 60 years ago.     

Supreme Court Precedents Tested Again by NY Zero-Emission Regs

Recently in these pages—in fact, quite recently—we conducted an extensive review of new US Supreme Court landmarks that unequivocally established the paramountcy of federal law regulating the interstate energy markets. This noble triad is composed of Oneok, Inc. v. Learjet, Inc., establishing that federal law is supreme over state promulgations regulating the natural gas industry, followed by FERC v. Electric Power Supply Association, which likewise declared that the interstate wholesale market in electricity is subject solely to national regulation, to the exclusion of state law, and, finally, Hughes v. Talen Energy Marketing, LLC, where, consistent with its earlier precedents, a unanimous Supreme Court voided a state-aid program to certain energy producers as an unlawful intrusion into a domain constitutionally mandated as one susceptible only to federal oversight.     

Two-step sinter-crystallization of K2O–CaO–P2O5–SiO2 (45S5-K) bioactive glass

Bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics (GCs) effectively regenerate bone tissue, however most GCs show improved mechanical properties. In this work, we developed and tested a rarely studied bioactive glass composition (24.4K₂O-26.9CaO-46.1SiO₂-2.6P₂O₅ mol%, identified as 45S5-K) with different particle sizes and heating rates to obtain a sintered GC that combines good fracture strength, low elastic modulus, and bioactivity. We analyzed the influence of the sintering processing conditions in the elastic modulus, Vickers microhardness, density, and crystal phase formation in the GC. The best GC shows improved properties compared with its parent glass. This glass achieves a good densification degree with a two-step viscous flow sintering approach and the resulting GC shows as high bioactivity as that of the standard 45S5 Bioglass®. Furthermore, the GC elastic modulus (56 GPa) is relatively low, minimizing stress shielding. Therefore, we unveiled the glass sintering behavior with concurrent crystallization of this complex bioactive glass composition and developed a potential GC for bone regeneration.     

Ultrastructural and developmental toxicity of potato and tomato leaf extracts to beet armyworm,Spodoptera exigua (lepidoptera: noctuidae)

Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera exigua is a herbivorous moth and a serious pest of many economically important plants, which are used as food sources. Because of rigorous standards of food quality, usage of synthetic insecticides in crop protection, against pests, is limited. Solanaceae plant extracts may be a relatively cheap source of efficient natural insecticides that can limit usage of synthetic substances. Their biological activity is not fully known. In particular, ultrastructural studies, using transmission electron microscopy, are not usual. In the present article we describe the effects of sublethal concentrations of tomato and potato leaf extracts against S. exigua. Acute lethal effects were not observed. Both extracts exerted similar effects within midgut and fat body cells. Midgut cells were not significantly altered while fat body cells showed prominent swelling of nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum, vacuolization of mitochondria and fusion of fat droplets. These changes were much more intensive within groups exposed to potato than tomato extracts at highest concentration at least. Light microscopy was used to observe and document developmental alterations of S. exigua exposed to potato and tomato leaf extracts. Potato leaf extracts significantly decreased hatching success and caused morphological malformations of imagoes. Among them, malformations of wings were the most prominent. Interestingly, these effects were not observed within populations exposed to tomato extracts at highest concentration at least.     

Growth of carbon nanofilaments on coal foams

Nanofilamentous carbon was grown on a carbon foam by catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CVD) using the decomposition of ethylene/hydrogen mixtures over Ni. The carbon foam was obtained from a coal by a two-stage thermal process, with the first stage taking place at a temperature within the plastic region of the precursor coal. The extent of porosity and the pore size of the foam were mainly influenced by the pressure reached in the reactor during the first stage. In the CVD process, 700 °C was the optimum temperature for obtaining good yields of nanofilaments. A low ethylene/hydrogen ratio (1/4) in the reactive gas gave rise to almost only short and thin carbon nanostructures. A higher proportion of C₂H₄ (4/1, C₂H₄/H₂) gave better yields of nanofilaments, with good proportions of higher-length and higher-diameter (up to around 0.5 μm) structures. Among the carbon forms produced, transmission electron microscopy revealed the predominance of fishbone-type nanofibres, with some bamboo-like nanotubes being also observed.     

Process Optimisation of In Situ H2 Generation From Ammonia Using Ni on Alumina Coated Cordierite Monoliths

A catalyst of Ni supported on alumina coated monolith has been prepared, characterized and tested in NH₃ decomposition. The characterization of the catalyst by XPS and TPR showed that there is no formation of aluminates after catalyst use. It is studied the effect of the space velocity, by varying the feed flow rate and the catalyst??s length. Some evidences are shown about the reaction inhibition by produced H₂ and about the reasons for the better performance of the monolith than packed bed catalyst.