Assessment of Pb-slag, MSWI bottom ash and boiler and fly ash for using as a fine aggregate in cement mortar

Three types of wastes, metallurgical slag from Pb production (SLG), the sand-sized (0.1-2 mm) fraction of MSWI bottom ash from a grate furnace (SF), and boiler and fly ash from a fluidised bed incinerator (BFA), were characterized and used to replace the fine aggregate during preparation of cement mortar. The chemical and mineralogical behaviour of these wastes along with the reactivities of the wastes with lime and the hydration behaviour of ordinary Portland cement paste with and without these wastes added were evaluated by various chemical and instrumental techniques. The compressive strengths of the cement mortars containing waste as a partial substitution of fine aggregates were also assessed. Finally, leaching studies of the wastes and waste containing cement mortars were conducted. SLG addition does not show any adverse affect during the hydration of cement, or on the compressive strengths behaviours of mortars. Formation of expansive products like ettringite, aluminium hydroxide and H2 gas due to the reaction of some constituents of BFA and SF with alkali creates some cracks in the paste as well as in the cement mortars, which lower the compressive strength of the cement mortars. However, utilization of all materials in cement-based application significantly improves the leaching behaviour of the majority of the toxic elements compared to the waste as such.     

Carboxylic Acid (Bio)Isosteres in Drug Design

The carboxylic acid functional group can be an important constituent of a pharmacophore, however, the presence of this moiety can also be responsible for significant drawbacks, including metabolic instability, toxicity, as well as limited passive diffusion across biological membranes. To avoid some of these shortcomings while retaining the desired attributes of the carboxylic acid moiety, medicinal chemists often investigate the use of carboxylic acid (bio)isosteres. The same type of strategy can also be effective for a variety other purposes, for example, to increase the selectivity of a biologically active compound or to create new intellectual property. Several carboxylic acid isosteres have been reported, however, the outcome of any isosteric replacement cannot be readily predicted as this strategy is generally found to be dependent upon the particular context (i.e., the characteristic properties of the drug and the drug–target). As a result, screening of a panel of isosteres is typically required. In this context, the discovery and development of novel carboxylic acid surrogates that could complement the existing palette of isosteres remains an important area of research. The goal of this Minireview is to provide an overview of the most commonly employed carboxylic acid (bio)isosteres and to present representative examples demonstrating the use and utility of each isostere in drug design.     

How to Study Biofilms after Microbial Colonization of Materials Used in Orthopaedic Implants

Over the years, various techniques have been proposed for the quantitative evaluation of microbial biofilms. Spectrophotometry after crystal violet staining is a widespread method for biofilm evaluation, but several data indicate that it does not guarantee a good specificity, although it is rather easy to use and cost saving. Confocal laser microscopy is one of the most sensitive and specific tools to study biofilms, and it is largely used for research. However, in some cases, no quantitative measurement of the matrix thickness or of the amount of embedded microorganisms has been performed, due to limitation in availability of dedicated software. For this reason, we have developed a protocol to evaluate the microbial biofilm formed on sandblasted titanium used for orthopaedic implants, that allows measurement of biomass volume and the amount of included cells. Results indicate good reproducibility in terms of measurement of biomass and microbial cells. Moreover, this protocol has proved to be applicable for evaluation of the efficacy of different anti-biofilm treatments used in the orthopaedic setting. Summing up, the protocol here described is a valid and inexpensive method for the study of microbial biofilm on prosthetic implant materials.     

Lipoxygenase and hydroperoxide lyase activities in two olive varieties from Northern Italy

Lipoxygenase (LOX) and hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) activities were characterised in olive pulp microsomes from two cultivars (Ghiacciolo and Nostrana di Brisighella) from Northern Italy. LOX activity exhibited a maximum at pH 5.5 in both cultivars, and the highest value was found in cv Ghiacciolo. This was correlated with the higher total antioxidant capacity detected in cv Nostrana, rather than by a different LOX expression, as demonstrated by immunoblotting assay. Furthermore, isomer characterisation showed the predominance of 13‐hydroperoxides of linoleic acid (HPOD) in both cultivars, suggesting the occurrence of a 13‐LOX. HPL activity exhibited an optimum at pH 7.5 in the two cultivars, but was higher in cv Nostrana, as confirmed by the increased amount of hexanal production after 13‐HPOD addition. In addition, the constitutive aldehyde profile in cv Nostrana fruits were shown to be enriched in aldehydes too when compared to cv Ghiacciolo. These results suggest that the different features in the two olive cultivars are mainly due to genetic rather than environmental factors. Practical applications: In this paper we studied the lipoxygenase (LOX) and hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) activities, and the formation of their products (hydroperoxides and aldehydes) in microsomes extracted from olive pulp of two Italian cultivars. The study of LOX and HPL, belonging to the so‐called ‘oxylipin pathway’, has important implications on the aroma development in both fruit and oil. Thus, a better knowledge of the properties of these enzymes can be useful to improve the organoleptic features of the oil. In fact, ‘LOX pathway’ may play a positive role in the formation of pleasant flavours during the technological processes. The preliminary study of the activity of the LOX/HPL enzymes could represent an important tool to facilitate the varietal choice in order to improve oil quality.     

Identification of Dermatophyte Species after Implementation of the In-House MALDI-TOF MS Database

Despite that matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has become a powerful tool in the clinical microbiology setting, few studies have till now focused on MALDI-TOF MS-based identification of dermatophytes. In this study, we analyze dermatophytes strains isolated from clinical samples by MALDI-TOF MS to supplement the reference database available in our laboratory. Twenty four dermatophytes (13 reference strains and 11 field isolated strains), identified by both conventional and molecular standard procedures, were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS, and the spectra obtained were used to supplement the available database, limited to a few species. To verify the robustness of the implemented database, 64 clinical isolates other than those used for the implementation were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. The implementation allowed the identification of the species not included in the original database, reinforced the identification of the species already present and correctly identified those within the Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex previously classified as Trichophyton. tonsurans by MALDI-TOF MS. The dendrogram obtained by analyzing the proteic profiles of the different species of dermatophytes reflected their taxonomy, showing moreover, in some cases, a different clusterization between the spectra already present in the database and those newly added. In this study, MALDI-TOF MS proved to be a useful tool suitable for the identification of dermatophytes for diagnostic purpose.     

Tuning the Activity and Selectivity of CuCl2/γ-Al2O3 Ethene Oxychlorination Catalyst by Selective Promotion

CuCl₂/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts with and without promoter metal chlorides (Cu5.0, K3.1Cu5.0, La10.9Cu5.0, Li0.5Cu5.0, Cs10.4Cu5.0, Mg1.9Cu5.0, Ce5.5La5.45Cu5.0, and K1.55La5.45Cu5.0) were studied for the ethene oxychlorination reaction in a fixed-bed reactor at 503 and 573 K, with C₂H₄:HCl:O₂:He = 1.0:1.1:0.38:14.4 (mole ratio), P(tot) = 1 atm and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) = 1.5 g g^?1 h^?1 (based on ethene). It was found that all promoter metals enhanced the activity of the catalyst, as well as its selectivity towards the target product 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-EDC). Co-promoted catalysts (K1.55La5.45Cu5.0 and Ce5.5La5.45Cu5.0) gave even higher activity and product selectivity than the single metal promoted catalysts. The activity of the CuCl₂/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst, as well as the γ-Al₂O₃ support, both with and without metal chloride promoter(s), were further tested for 1,2-EDC conversion to byproducts in a fixed-bed reactor at 503 K, under a feed stream of 1,2-EDC:Ar = 1:11.5 (mole ratio), at P(tot) = 1 atm and WHSV = 1.5 g g^?1 h^?1 (based on 1,2-EDC). Prior to testing, the catalysts were pretreated in flowing ethene, HCl and/or O₂. It was observed that Lewis and Brønsted acid sites on the alumina surface were main reaction sites for conversion of 1,2-EDC to chlorinated byproducts: vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), 1,1-EDC, 1,2-dichloroethene (1,2-DCE) and ethyl chloride (EC) as well as dimerisation (butadiene) and aromatisation reactions (toluene), both with and without the presence of the Cu phase. The Cu phase was shown to contribute mainly to CO₂ and trichloroethane formation from 1,2-EDC via VCM. Co-promotion (K1.55La5.45Cu5.0) was found to enhance the activity of the Cu phase, and to mask acid sites on the alumina surface, thereby promoting ethene oxychlorination while at the same time hindering undesired conversion of the target product 1,2-EDC.     

Chemical structure and mechanical properties of soda lime silica glass surfaces treated by thermal poling in inert and reactive ambient gases

This study employed thermal poling at 200°C as a means to modify the surface mechanical properties of soda lime silica (SLS) glass. SLS float glass panels were allowed to react with molecules constituting ambient air (H₂O, O₂, N₂) while sodium ions were depleted from the surface region through diffusion into the bulk under an anodic potential. A sample poled in inert gas (Ar) was used for comparison. Systematic analyses of the chemical composition, thickness, silicate network, trapped molecular species, and hydrous species in the sodium‐depleted layers revealed correlations between subsurface structural changes and mechanical properties such as hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness. A silica‐like structure was created in the inert gas environment through restructuring of Si–O–Si bonds at 200°C in the Na‐depleted zone; this occurred far below T_g. This silica‐like surface also showed enhancement of hardness comparable to that of pure silica glass. The anodic thermal poling condition was found so reactive that O₂ and N₂ species can be incorporated into the glass, which also alters the glass structure and mechanical properties. In the case of the anodic surfaces prepared in a humid environment, the glass showed an improved resistance against crack formation, which implies that abundant hydrous species incorporated during thermal poling could be beneficial to improve the toughness.     

Effect of dietary linseed on the nutritional value and quality of pork and pork products: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Nutritional quality of pork is a significant factor for consumers' health. Feeding n-3 PUFA to pigs, using linseed, improves pork nutritional quality. A meta-analysis involving 1006 pigs reported in 24 publications was carried out to assess the effects of dietary linseed on alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content in muscle and adipose tissue. Data showed positive effects of n-3 PUFA on muscle fatty acid composition: ALA + 137%, EPA + 188%, DPA + 51% and DHA + 12%. Same results were observed in adipose tissue: ALA + 297%, EPA + 149%, DPA + 88% and DHA + 18%. A positive correlation between dietary treatment and ALA and EPA content in muscle (P < 0.001) and adipose tissue (P = 0.036) was observed. A significant association between DPA (P = 0.04) and DHA (P = 0.011) and live weight in muscle was observed. Feeding linseed to pig improves the nutritional pork quality, raising the n-3 PUFA content in muscle and adipose tissue.     

Mechanisms for Silanol Formation on Amorphous Silica Fracture Surfaces

Amorphous SiO₂fracture surfaces created under different partial pressures of water vapor ( p _H2O) were analyzed using temperature-programmed static secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The results were used to develop an atomistic model for the formation of a fracture surface. It was found that substantial reconstruction of the SiO₂fracture surface took place immediately after the fracture event. Formation of the fracture surface was modeled as three individual steps-rupture of Si-O-Si bonds to form dangling Si* and Si-O* bonds, reconstruction and relaxation of the surface to form both strained and unstrained siloxane bonds, and, lastly, reaction of H₂O molecules with strained siloxane bonds to form surface silanol groups. The final concentration of surface silanol groups was found to have only a weak dependence on the p _H2O in the ambient atmosphere during the fracture process. It was also found that the number of strained siloxane bonds on the SiO₂fracture surface could be substantially reduced by heat treatment of the glass under vacuum.     

Mechanism of lustre formation in scheelite-based glazes

This work elucidates the mechanism responsible for the lustre effect of scheelite-based glazes for single-firing wall tiles. The surface decoration is obtained with a thin film composed of a Si–Ca–Zn–Al–K–B frit and 10 wt% WO₃ on zircon-engobed substrates for single-firing wall tiles (maximum temperature of 1130 °C for 50 min). The observed lustre effect is sub-adamantine and pearlescent. It is sub-adamantine because scheelite nanocrystals at the surface, with a relatively high refractive index (n = 1.93), cause considerable reflection of light. The lustre is also weakly pearlescent because the nano-crystals oriented with the (004) plane parallel to the surface give interference with the underlying glassy layer (n ≈ 1.5), where randomly dispersed scheelite crystals occur. This model apparently applies to the glazes decorated with ceria, although the latter exhibits iridescence due to the high refractive index of ceria (n = 2.05) which yields stronger interference effect with the underlying glassy substrate.