Mitochondrial Ca2+ Dynamics in MCU Knockout C. elegans Worms

Mitochondrial [Ca²⁺] plays an important role in the regulation of mitochondrial function, controlling ATP production and apoptosis triggered by mitochondrial Ca²⁺ overload. This regulation depends on Ca²⁺ entry into the mitochondria during cell activation processes, which is thought to occur through the mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter (MCU). Here, we have studied the mitochondrial Ca²⁺ dynamics in control and MCU-defective C. elegans worms in vivo, by using worms expressing mitochondrially-targeted YC3.60 yellow cameleon in pharynx muscle. Our data show that the small mitochondrial Ca²⁺ oscillations that occur during normal physiological activity of the pharynx were very similar in both control and MCU-defective worms, except for some kinetic differences that could mostly be explained by changes in neuronal stimulation of the pharynx. However, direct pharynx muscle stimulation with carbachol triggered a large and prolonged increase in mitochondrial [Ca²⁺] that was much larger in control worms than in MCU-defective worms. This suggests that MCU is necessary for the fast mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake induced by large cell stimulations. However, low-amplitude mitochondrial Ca²⁺ oscillations occurring under more physiological conditions are independent of the MCU and use a different Ca²⁺ pathway.     

Emission of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) from Solid Waste Incinerator Equipped with an After-Combustion Chamber

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are typical indicators of incomplete combustion during solid waste incineration. The PAH emissions caused by waste incineration vary according to waste composition and operating parameters such as furnace temperature, after-combustion conditions, excess air, carbon monoxide levels.

In this work, the content of PAH in the fly ashes (sampled upstream the flue gas treatment system) and bottom ashes produced by the combustion of a refuse derived fuel (RDF) in a rotary kiln incinerator equipped with an after-combustion chamber is determined. The emission levels of PAH are correlated with different operating conditions of the incinerator to evaluate the destruction efficiency of the after-combustion chamber for these compounds.     

Comparative study of initial stages of copper immersion deposition on bulk and porous silicon

Initial stages of Cu immersion deposition in the presence of hydrofluoric acid on bulk and porous silicon were studied. Cu was found to deposit both on bulk and porous silicon as a layer of nanoparticles which grew according to the Volmer-Weber mechanism. It was revealed that at the initial stages of immersion deposition, Cu nanoparticles consisted of crystals with a maximum size of 10 nm and inherited the orientation of the original silicon substrate. Deposited Cu nanoparticles were found to be partially oxidized to Cu₂O while CuO was not detected for all samples. In contrast to porous silicon, the crystal orientation of the original silicon substrate significantly affected the sizes, density, and oxidation level of Cu nanoparticles deposited on bulk silicon.     

Suitability of log-linear models to evaluate the microbiological quality of baby clams (Chamelea gallina L.) harvested in the Adriatic Sea

The presence of fecal coliforms or Escherichia coli in baby clams (Chamelea gallina L.) is considered an indicator related to their safety because they can be correlated with the presence of pathogenic bacteria. For this reason the Italian regulation has defined limits for these microorganisms. The presence of these microbial indicators is dependent on various environmental variables. In this work all the variables considered are categorical and, consequently, the traditional approach of predictive microbiology was not applicable. The data were summarized by means of a cross-tabulation and analyzed using the log-linear model technique. This statistical technique is widely used in social and economic studies but only partially developed in food microbiology. The suitability of the log-linear model to analyse microbiological data in relation to environmental variables was evaluated. In particular, the microbiological quality of baby clams harvested in five different areas of the Adriatic Sea coast in Emilia Romagna (Italy) was considered. The influence of the season and geographical origin on microbiological standards was assessed. A logit model was developed to predict the frequencies, depending on geographical origin and season, of samples with concentrations of the indicator organisms below or above the legal standards provided by Italian regulation.     

Femtosecond laser deposition of TiO2 nanoparticle-assembled films with embedded CdS nanoparticles

Based on the normal pulsed laser ablation method,femtosecond pulsed laser deposition（fs-PLD）is adopted in vacuum for the production of TiO2nanoparticle-assembled films.We study the morphology and electronic characteristics of TiO2nanoparticle-assembled films deposited at different oxygen background gas pressures from high vacuum（~10-4Pa）to 100 Pa and different deposition time.Our results show that TiO2nanoparticle-assembled films obtained in high vacuum present both a mixture with rutile phase and anatase phase and a pure rutile phase.At the same time,there are more mesoporous structures in the film after annealing,which is beneficial for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity.In water splitting experiment,part of the TiO2nanoparticle-assembled films embedded with a small mass fraction of CdS nanoparticles（~5%）present an interesting photocurrent enhancement with a maximum value of~0.2mA/cm2under a solar simulator.     

Inhibition of P2X7 Purinergic Receptor Ameliorates Fibromyalgia Syndrome by Suppressing NLRP3 Pathway

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by persistent widespread pain that significantly reduces quality of life in patients. The purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) seems to be involved in different pain states and neuroinflammation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the positive effects of P2X7R inhibition by the antagonist Brilliant Blue G (BBG) in a rat model of reserpine-induced fibromyalgia. Sprague–Dawley male rats were injected with 1 mg/kg of reserpine for three consecutive days. Later, animals were administered BBG (50 mg/kg) intraperitoneally for seven days. Reserpine injections induced a significant increase in pain pro-inflammatory mediators as well as a significant increase in neuroinflammation. Chronic pain, in turn, led to depressive-like symptoms and reduced neurogenesis. Blockage of P2X7R by BBG administrations is able to attenuate the behavioral deficits, pain mediators and microglial activation induced by reserpine injection. Additionally, BBG prevents NLRP3 inflammasome activation and consequently the release of active interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-18, involved in the activation of nociceptors. In conclusion, these results suggest that inhibition of P2X7R should be further investigated to develop a potential approach for the management of fibromyalgia.     

Chemical polymerization and electrochemical characterization of thiazines for NADH electrocatalysis applications

Electrochemically polymerized azines have been employed frequently as NADH electrocatalysts in biosensors and biofuel cells. However, some applications of these electrocatalysts do not lend themselves to electropolymerization. Therefore, this research investigates the chemical synthesis and application of poly(methylene blue) (PMB) and poly(methylene green) (PMG) in electrocatalysis. In an attempt to develop a simple synthesis for polymerized thiazines that could be immobilized on any surface, we investigated several polymerization protocols that are described in this paper. Structural analyses imply that the chemically synthesized polymers are chemically unique in comparison to the electropolymerized polymers. Amperometric investigations were used to compare the catalytic activity of chemically and electrochemically synthesized polymers as electrocatalysts for the oxidation of NADH and the chemically synthesized polymers were employed at the bioanode of a methanol/air biofuel cell to show their utility for this application.     

Experiment Dashboard for Monitoring Computing Activities of the LHC Virtual Organizations

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is preparing for data taking at the end of 2009. The Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) provides data storage and computational resources for the high energy physics community. Operating the heterogeneous WLCG infrastructure, which integrates 140 computing centers in 33 countries all over the world, is a complicated task. Reliable monitoring is one of the crucial components of the WLCG for providing the functionality and performance that is required by the LHC experiments. The Experiment Dashboard system provides monitoring of the WLCG infrastructure from the perspective of the LHC experiments and covers the complete range of their computing activities. This work describes the architecture of the Experiment Dashboard system and its main monitoring applications and summarizes current experiences by the LHC experiments, in particular during service challenges performed on the WLCG over the last years.