Geopolymerization reaction to consolidate incoherent pozzolanic soil

Pozzolanic material-based geopolymer has been proposed as a solving methodology to the geohazards, due to pozzolanic collapsible soils widely present in the South Italy. The geopolymer was synthesized from pozzolana material under activation of NaOH 10 M or slurry of NaAlO₂ in NaOH 10 M solution. The specimens were cured at 25 °C and 100% RH for different ageing times. The effect of the two activation methods on the properties of the geopolymer was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (²⁷Al and ²⁹Si NMR) and uniaxial compression tests. XRD, NMR and IR analysis indicate the geopolymer is generated by the dissolution of the silico-aluminate phases present in the pozzolana and the successive re-organization in amorphous and crystalline neo-formed phases. The spectroscopic evidences confirm that the 4-coordinated Al atoms present in the neat pozzolana and in the NaAlO₂ change their coordination state splitting between 6- and 4-coordinated atoms, modifying the traditional chemistry of polysialate formation. SEM results show the synthesized geo-polymer maintained the granular morphology of the pozzolana and the geo-polymeric reactions occurred mainly at the surface of pozzolana particulates. Furthermore, uniaxial strength data increase gradually upon the curing time, until 40 MPa for the specimens activated with the slurry system.     

Stress Modifies the Expression of Glucocorticoid-Responsive Genes by Acting at Epigenetic Levels in the Rat Prefrontal Cortex: Modulatory Activity of Lurasidone

Epigenetics is one of the mechanisms by which environmental factors can alter brain function and may contribute to central nervous system disorders. Alterations of DNA methylation and miRNA expression can induce long-lasting changes in neurobiological processes. Hence, we investigated the effect of chronic stress, by employing the chronic mild stress (CMS) and the chronic restraint stress protocol, in adult male rats, on the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) function. We focused on DNA methylation specifically in the proximity of the glucocorticoid responsive element (GRE) of the GR responsive genes Gadd45β, Sgk1, and Gilz and on selected miRNA targeting these genes. Moreover, we assessed the role of the antipsychotic lurasidone in modulating these alterations. Chronic stress downregulated Gadd45β and Gilz gene expression and lurasidone normalized the Gadd45β modification. At the epigenetic level, CMS induced hypermethylation of the GRE of Gadd45β gene, an effect prevented by lurasidone treatment. These stress-induced alterations were still present even after a period of rest from stress, indicating the enduring nature of such changes. However, the contribution of miRNA to the alterations in gene expression was moderate in our experimental conditions. Our results demonstrated that chronic stress mainly affects Gadd45β expression and methylation, effects that are prolonged over time, suggesting that stress leads to changes in DNA methylation that last also after the cessation of stress procedure, and that lurasidone is a modifier of such mechanisms.     

Ischemia-Reperfusion Injuries Assessment during Pancreas Preservation

Maintaining organ viability between donation and transplantation is of critical importance for optimal graft function and survival. To date in pancreas transplantation, static cold storage (SCS) is the most widely practiced method of organ preservation. The first experiments in ex vivo perfusion of the pancreas were performed at the beginning of the 20th century. These perfusions led to organ oedema, hemorrhage, and venous congestion after revascularization. Despite these early hurdles, a number of factors now favor the use of perfusion during preservation: the encouraging results of HMP in kidney transplantation, the development of new perfusion solutions, and the development of organ perfusion machines for the lung, heart, kidneys and liver. This has led to a resurgence of research in machine perfusion for whole organ pancreas preservation. This review highlights the ischemia-reperfusion injuries assessment during ex vivo pancreas perfusion, both for assessment in pre-clinical experimental models as well for future use in the clinic. We evaluated perfusion dynamics, oedema assessment, especially by impedance analysis and MRI, whole organ oxygen consumption, tissue oxygen tension, metabolite concentrations in tissue and perfusate, mitochondrial respiration, cell death, especially by histology, total cell free DNA, caspase activation, and exocrine and endocrine assessment.     

An Integrated Pharmacophore/Docking/3D-QSAR Approach to Screening a Large Library of Products in Search of Future Botulinum Neurotoxin A Inhibitors

Botulinum toxins are neurotoxins produced by Clostridium botulinum. This toxin can be lethal for humans as a cause of botulism; however, in small doses, the same toxin is used to treat different conditions. Even if the therapeutic doses are effective and safe, the adverse reactions could be local and could unmask a subclinical impairment of neuromuscular transmissions. There are not many cases of adverse events in the literature; however, it is possible that sometimes they do not occur as they are transient and, if they do occur, there is no possibility of a cure other than to wait for the pharmacological effect to end. Inhibition of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) effects is a strategy for treating botulism as it can provide an effective post-exposure remedy. In this paper, 13,592,287 compounds were screened through a pharmacophore filter, a 3D-QSAR model, and a virtual screening; then, the compounds with the best affinity were selected. Molecular dynamics simulation studies on the first four compounds predicted to be the most active were conducted to verify that the poses foreseen by the docking were stable. This approach allowed us to identify compounds with a calculated inhibitory activity in the range of 316–500 nM.     

One-year behavioral treatment of obesity: Comparison of moderate and severe caloric restriction and the effects of weight maintenance therapy.

Compared the weight losses of 49 obese women (mean age 39.31 yrs) randomly assigned to a 52-wk behavioral program combined with either moderate or severe caloric restriction. Ss in the balanced deficit diet (BDD) condition were prescribed a 1,200-kcal/day diet throughout treatment, and those in the very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) condition were given a 420-kcal/day liquid diet for 16 wks and a 1,200-kcal/day diet thereafter. The VLCD Ss lost significantly more weight than the BDD Ss at all periods through Week 26, at which time mean losses were 21.45 and 11.86 kg, respectively. VLCD Ss, however, regained weight during the next 26 wks of weekly therapy and during a 26-wk weight maintenance program that provided biweekly meetings. Mean weight losses at the end of the maintenance program were 10.94 and 12.18 kg, respectively. Reports of binge eating declined in both groups, and no relationship was observed between binge eating and weight loss or attrition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Techniques for process model evolution in EPOS

The authors categorize some aspects of software process evolution and customization, and describe how they are handled in the EPOS PM system. Comparisons are made to other PM systems. A process model in EPOS consists of a schema of classes and meta-classes, and its model entities and relationships. There is an underlying software engineering database, EPOSDB, offering uniform versioning of all model parts and a context of nested cooperating transactions. Then, there is a reflective object-oriented process specification language, on top of the EPOSDB. Policies for model creation, composition, change, instantiation, refinement, and enaction are explicitly represented and are used by a set of PM automatic tools. The main tools are a planner to instantiate tasks, an execution manager to enact such tasks, and a PM manager to define, analyze, customize, and evolve the process schema     

In the budding yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus,adenylate cyclase is regulated by Ras protein(s) in vitro

The presence of adenylate cyclase activity was first demonstrated in membrane fractions from the budding yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus. The enzyme showed a Mn²⁺- and Mg²⁺-dependent activity, with optimal pH at around 6 as observed in other yeast species. As in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where adenylate cyclase is regulated by RAS1 and RAS2, we detected a guanyl nucleotide-dependent activity. Interestingly Y13–259 monoclonal antibody, raised against mammalian p21^Ha-ras, inhibited Mg²⁺ plus GTP-γ-S-dependent cAMP production, suggesting that the GTP binding proteins involved in adenylate cyclase regulation could be Ras proteins. The same antibody recognized on Western blot and immunoprecipitated a 40 kDa polypeptide from K. marxianus crude membranes. This polypeptide was not detected by an anti-RAS2 polyclonal antibody raised against S. cerevisiae RAS2 protein, suggesting that Ras proteins from the two species could be structurally different.