A STUDY ON THE THERMAL STABILITY TO 1000°C OF VARIOUS CARBON ALLOTROPES AND CARBONACEOUS MATTER BOTH UNDER NITROGEN AND IN AIR

The thermal behavior of graphite, C₆₀ fullerene, fullerene black (carbon soot containing fullerenes), extracted fullerene black and diamond has been analyzed to 1000°C by TGA-DTA (thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis) under a nitrogen flow at a heating rate of 20°C/min. Very small weight losses have been recorded in the case of graphite and diamond. Furthermore no diamond graphitization has been observed. The sublimation of pure C₆₀ and the fullerene fraction of fullerene black (both pristine and extracted) has been observed and discussed.

The combustion reaction in air flow of graphite, C₆₀ and C₇₀ fullerenes, fullerene black (both unextracted and extracted), carbon nanotubes and diamond has been studied by TGA-DTA at a heating rate of 20°C/min. C₇₀ fullerene and fullerene black have been found to be the most reactive carbon materials with O₂. The role played by C₇₀ in the degradation of fullerites has been discussed. Among the carbon materials examined, the best resistance to O₂ attack has been shown by diamond and carbon nanotubes. The behavior of graphite is intermediate between diamond and fullerene blacks. The behavior of C₆₀ fullerene appears closer to that of graphite although it appears to be more reactive with O₂. Samples of graphite and carbon blacks N375 and N234 have been studied by TGA-DTA in air flow before and after a radiation treatment with neutrons or γ radiation. The effect of the radiation damage in the combustion reaction of these carbon materials has been discussed.     

Ethyl silicate for surface treatment of concrete - Part I: Pozzolanic effect of ethyl silicate

Despite the widespread use of ethyl silicate for stone consolidation, the investigation of its reactivity with the different supports is still in progress. In this paper, the pozzolanic behaviour of ethyl silicate is investigated, by means of experimental mixtures of commercial ethyl silicate and slaked lime, and the occurrence of C-S-H formation is shown. The ability of ethyl silicate to penetrate in porous building materials as a liquid solution and, only after curing, to give rise to a pozzolanic material encourages the application of ethyl silicate for the consolidation and protection of reinforced concrete, as well as for the consolidation of modern cement-based mortars having artistic value (Art Nouveau cement-based mortars, etc.). The pozzolanic effect of ethyl silicate can be exploited also for the formulation of new consolidating materials (e.g. with nanolime).     

Adaptive two-step methods for semidiscretized wave equations

Adaptive two-step direct integration methods are constructed for the integration of second-order semidiscrete evolution equations possessing oscillatory solutions. The methods are based on a class of adaptive multistep methods for a semilinear test model whose frequency is known. They are constructed following the notion of diagonally implicit RK-methods by using efficient rational approximations to cos v, v ≥ 0. Our interest is centered on the dispersion (or phase errors) of the dominant components in the numerical oscillations when these methods are applied to a linear homogeneous test model. Two-step methods which have high order of dispersion (up to 12), whereas the algebraic order is relatively low (2 or 4), are derived. Applications of these methods to linear as well as non-linear test models and to semidiscretized hyperbolic equations reveal a good behaviour with regard to error propagation when they are compared with other conventional methods.     

Electrochemical and microstructural studies of sintered and sintered-plasma nitrided steel containing different alloying elements

The corrosion of sintered and sintered-plasma nitrided steels containing different alloying elements was evaluated through analysis of the potentiodynamic polarization curves of the samples at pH = 7, with 1.25 M KNO₃ as electrolyte. The Fe-3.0% Ni and Fe-0.1% C sintered alloys show better performance in relation to electrochemical corrosion, than sintered pure iron samples. In addition, Fe-4.0% Mn, Fe-1.5% Mo and Fe-1.5% Si alloys exhibited increased anodic current densities in relation to the pure iron sample. After the nitriding process the anodic current densities of all samples containing an alloying element were considerably diminished. The sintered-nitrided pure iron sample was the only nitrided part whose current density was higher than the current density of the non-nitrided sample.     

Ozone Reaction with C70 and C60 Fullerenes: The Effect of Temperature on the Reaction Kinetics

It has been confirmed that the effect of temperature on the rate constants (k) of ozone reaction with C₇₀ and C₆₀ fullerenes follows the Arrhenius law. The experimental values of activation energy (E_a) and pre-exponential factor (A), like as those of other simple alkenes, are in the order of 2.4-2.6 kcal mol^-1 and (1.2-1.8) × 10⁷ L mol^-1 sec^-1, respectively. They are practically equal for the both fullerenes. It has also been found that the value of the rate constant k of C₇₀ fullerene ozonolysis is higher in comparison to the respective k-value of C₆₀.     

Complexity and anisotropy in host morphology make populations less susceptible to epidemic outbreaks

One of the challenges in epidemiology is to account for the complex morphological structure of hosts such as plant roots, crop fields, farms, cells, animal habitats and social networks, when the transmission of infection occurs between contiguous hosts. Morphological complexity brings an inherent heterogeneity in populations and affects the dynamics of pathogen spread in such systems. We have analysed the influence of realistically complex host morphology on the threshold for invasion and epidemic outbreak in an SIR (susceptible–infected–recovered) epidemiological model. We show that disorder expressed in the host morphology and anisotropy reduces the probability of epidemic outbreak and thus makes the system more resistant to epidemic outbreaks. We obtain general analytical estimates for minimally safe bounds for an invasion threshold and then illustrate their validity by considering an example of host data for branching hosts (salamander retinal ganglion cells). Several spatial arrangements of hosts with different degrees of heterogeneity have been considered in order to separately analyse the role of shape complexity and anisotropy in the host population. The estimates for invasion threshold are linked to morphological characteristics of the hosts that can be used for determining the threshold for invasion in practical applications.     

Combining mass spectrometry and pull-down techniques for the study of receptor heteromerization. Direct epitope-epitope electrostatic interactions between adenosine A2A and dopamine D2 receptors

Previous results from FRET and BRET experiments and computational analysis (docking simulations) have suggested that a portion of the third intracellular loop (I3) of the human dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) and the C-tail from the human adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) are involved in A2AR-D2R heteromerization. The results of the present studies, using pull-down and mass spectrometry experiments, suggest that A2AR-D2R heteromerization depends on an electrostatic interaction between an Arg-rich epitope from the I3 of the D2R (217RRRRKR222) and two adjacent Asp residues (DD401-402) or a phosphorylated Ser (S374) residue in the C-tail of the A2AR. A GST-fusion protein containing the C-terminal domain of the A2AR (GST-A2ACT) was able to pull down the whole D2R solubilized from D2R-tranfected HEK-293 cells. Second, a peptide corresponding to the Arg-rich I3 region of the D2R (215VLRRRRKRVN224) and bound to Sepharose was able to pull down both GST-A2ACT and the whole A2AR solubilized from A2AR-tranfected HEK-293 cells. Finally, mass spectometry and pull-down data showed that the Arg-rich D2R epitope binds to two different epitopes from the C-terminal part of the A2AR, containing the two adjacent Asp residues or the phosphorylated Ser residue (388HELKGVCPEPPGLDDPLAQDGAVGS412 and 370SAQEpSQGNT378). The present results are the first example of epitope-epitope electrostatic interaction underlying receptor heteromerization, a new, expanding area of protein-protein interactions.     

Maxillary sinus floor augmentation on humans: Packing simulations and 8 months histomorphometric comparative study of anorganic bone matrix and β-tricalcium phosphate particles as grafting materials

The present study compares the behaviour of an anorganic bone matrix material and a synthetic β-Tricalcium phosphate employed as grafting materials in a sinus floor augmentation two step protocol in humans. In order to estimate the initial occupation level for the two materials, an 'in vitro' simulation has been performed to analyse macroporosity created due to particle packing in terms of porosity and interparticle distances. Grafting in the sinus floor augmentation was performed by filling the defects only with pure grafting materials without autogenous bone addition. The new-bone generated is 100% based on the osteoconductive properties of the grafted materials in contact with physiological fluids. The implants were placed 8 months after the grafting procedure. All the implanted positions were biopsied and embedded in methacrylate resin. Histomorphometric analyses were done over thin film undecalcified sections. Packing simulations allow establishing a comparison of the resorbed volumes related to the initial occupancy of the grafting materials inside the defect. The nature of this interconnected pore network is very alike for either material so new-bone generated was similar (~35 vol.%).     

An in Vitro Study on Tissue Repair: Impact of Unloading on Cells Involved in the Remodelling Phase

The number of astronauts involved in long-lasting missions and extra-vehicular activities is going to increase in the future. Consequently, the chance of injury due to traumatic events or unexpected emergency surgery will also increase and medical evacuation times to earth will be prolonged. Hence, the need to address requirements for surgery and trauma care in non terrestrial environments will be a priority. Tissue repair in weightlessness should therefore be regarded as a major issue not enough studied to date. Wound healing is a complex multi-step process, crucial to the survival of the organism. It starts with an inflammatory phase followed by a remodelling phase. During repair, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is sequentially remodelled by the concerted action of different cell types, in order to rebuild a functional tissue. The available literature concerning wound healing with mechanical unloading presents controversial results. However, many studies indicate impairment of the healing processes. Here we present a study on the behaviour of cells involved in the remodelling phase of repair, e.g. fibroblasts and endothelial cells, in response to microgravity (μg). In particular, their adhesion/migration, cytoskeleton organization, production of ECM molecules and receptors have been investigated. Cell response to pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation has also been investigated in order to evaluate the possibility to use laser irradiation for counteracting the effect of μg on wound healing. In μg, we observed alterations in production/assembling of ECM molecules. Increased fibronectin (FN) and laminin (LM) could be the cause for impaired ECM rebuilding and altered cell adhesion/migration. Treatment with Nd:YAG laser pulses induced organized fibrillogenesis and favoured endothelial cell spreading and monolayer formation. These findings open the way for a better understanding of tissue repair mechanisms in space and future clinical applications on earth.