The Fight against the Influenza A Virus H1N1: Synthesis,Molecular Modeling,and Biological Evaluation of Benzofurazan Derivatives as Viral RNA Polymerase Inhibitors

The influenza RNA polymerase complex, which consists of the three subunits PA, PB1, and PB2, is a promising target for the development of new antiviral drugs. A large library of benzofurazan compounds was synthesized and assayed against influenza virus A/WSN/33 (H1N1). Most of the new derivatives were found to act by inhibiting the viral RNA polymerase complex through disruption of the complex formed between subunits PA and PB1. Docking studies were also performed to elucidate the binding mode of benzofurazans within the PB1 binding site in PA and to identify amino acids involved in their mechanism of action. The predicted binding pose is fully consistent with the biological data and lays the foundation for the rational development of more effective PA–PB1 inhibitors.     

Diagrid structures for tall buildings: case studies and design considerations

The originality of form is one of the new trends that can be identified in the current design of tall buildings. In this design trend, the so‐called diagrid structures, which represent the latest mutation of tubular structures, play a major role due to their inherent esthetic quality, structural efficiency and geometrical versatility. In this paper, an overview on application of such typology to high‐rise buildings is carried out; in particular, in the first part of the paper, the peculiarities of diagrid systems are described: starting from the analysis of the internal forces arising in the single diagrid module due to vertical and horizontal loads, the resisting mechanism of diagrid buildings under gravity and wind loads is described, and recent researches and studies dealing with the effect of geometry on the structural behavior are discussed. In the second part of the paper, a comparative analysis of the structural performance of some recent diagrid tall buildings, characterized by different number of stories and different geometries, namely the Swiss Re building in London, the Hearst Headquarters in New York and the West Tower in Guangzhou, is carried out, and some general design remarks are derived. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A one-step treatment for chondral and osteochondral knee defects: clinical results of a biomimetic scaffold implantation at 2 years of follow-up

The increasing interest in the role of subchondral bone with regard to articular surface disease led to the development of new bioengineered strategies. Aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and MRI outcome after the implantation of a nanostructured biomimetic three-phasic collagen–hydroxyapatite construct for the treatment of chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee in a large cohort of patients. Seventy-nine patients (63 M, 16 W), affected by grade III–IV femoral condyle or trochlea chondral lesions or osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) were consecutively treated. Mean age was 31.0 ± 11.3 years, mean lesion size was 3.2 ± 2.0 cm². Fifty patients underwent previous surgeries, concurrent procedures were necessary in 39 cases. The clinical outcome was evaluated using the IKDC and Tegner scores at 12 and 24 months of follow-up. At follow-up times an MRI was performed and evaluated with the MOCART score. All the scores improved significantly from the baseline. IKDC subjective score showed a further increase between 12 and 24 months of follow-up, and 82.2 % of the patients improved their symptoms at the final evaluation. Patients affected by OCDs had better results than those with degenerative lesions. Some abnormal MRI findings were present, even though no correlation was found with the clinical outcome. This one-step biomimetic approach developed to favor osteochondral tissue regeneration is effective in treating knees affected by damages of the articular surface, leading to a significant clinical improvement. However, abnormal MRI findings were present, even if not correlated with the clinical outcome.     

Electrodeposition of nanostructured bioactive hydroxyapatite-heparin composite coatings on titanium for dental implant applications

In this paper we describe the one-pot fabrication of hydroxyapatite (HA)-heparin composites by electrodeposition onto Ti substrates and their characterisation in terms of structure, morphology, heparin content and bioactivity. HA coatings are well known and widely applied osteointegration enhancers, but post-implant healing rate in dental applications is still suboptimal: e.g. coagulation control plays a key role and the incorporation of an anticoagulant is considered a highly desirable option. In this study, we have developed an improved, simple and robust growth procedure for single-phase, pure HA-heparin films of thickness 1/3 μm. HA-heparin, forming nanowires, has the ideal morphology for bone mineralisation. Staining assays revealed homogeneous incorporation of sizable amounts of heparin in the composite films. The bioactivities of the HA and HA-heparin coatings on Ti were compared by HeLa cell proliferation/viability tests and found to be enhanced by the presence of the anticoagulant.     

Upflow turbulent mixed convection heat transfer in vertical pipes

The present work deals with the results of an experimental investigation on heat transfer in water cooled vertical pipes, for thermal–hydraulic conditions ranging from forced convective flow to mixed convective flow. The flow of water in the pipe is upwards.Experimental data confirm the reduction in the heat transfer rate for mixed convection in upward heat flow, mainly due to the laminarization effect in the near-wall region (buoyancy effect) . They are in a very good agreement with numerical methods, such as the k–-model.A new method for the calculation of the heat transfer coefficient in upward mixed convection heated flow is proposed. It is based on the well-known superposition method (heated downflow) modified accounting for the phenomenology of the upward heated flow in comparison with downflow heated conditions.     

Novel system with damage initiated autonomous healing property based on heterogeneous blends of ethylene-methacrylic acid ionomer

Self-healing behavior of ionomer blends containing both rapidly crystallizing phase and with higher amount of amorphous phase has not yet been studied. This work gives a new insight to understand the development of materials with intrinsic self-healing property. In particular, binary blends based on poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid sodium salt) (EMNa)/Poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) (EVA) and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR), were studied by ballistic puncture tests. In the composition range explored (15-50 wt.% of EVA and ENR), the self-healing characteristics decrease with the increasing amount of EVA but are maintained in all ranges for ENR/EMNa blends. The ballistic damage initiated autonomous healing was observed by optical microscopy and the healing was further analyzed by thermal and mechanical behaviors of the blend materials.     

快速增长的数字宇宙中的服务器电源

今天,服务器群的电力需求从早年的1kW/机架增加到了20kW。数据流量趋势正在加速,预计在不久的将来需求将达到30kW/机架。48V DC配电提供了一个可以随着服务器部署规模提升的高功率密度。     

A comparative study of different DNA barcoding markers for the identification of some members of Lamiacaea

The objective of the present work is to evaluate the efficacy of a DNA barcoding approach as a tool for the recognition of commercial kitchen spices belonging to the Lamiaceae family that are usually sold as enhancers of food flavor. A total of 64 spices samples, encompassing six different genera (i.e. Mentha, Ocimum, Origanum, Salvia, Thymus and Rosmarinus) were processed with a classical DNA barcoding approach by amplifying and sequencing four candidate barcode regions (rpoB, rbcL, matK and trnH-psbA) with universal primers. Results suggest that the non-coding trnH-psbA intergenic spacer is the most suitable marker for molecular spices identification followed by matK, with interspecific genetic distance values ranging between about 0% to 7% and 0% to 5%, respectively. Both markers were almost invariably able to distinguish spices species from closest taxa with the exclusion of samples belonging to the genus Oregano. Moreover, in a context of food traceability the two markers are useful to identify commercial processed spice species (sold as dried plant material). We also evaluated the potential benefits of a multilocus barcode approach over a single-marker and although the most suitable combination was the matK + trhH-psbA, the observed genetic distances values were very similar to the discriminatory performance of the trnH-psbA. Finally, this preliminary work provide clear evidences that the efficacy of a DNA barcoding approach to the recognition of commercial spices is biased by the occurrence of taxonomic criticisms as well as traces of hybridization events within the family Lamiaceae. For this reason, to better define a more practical and standardized DNA barcoding tool for spices traceability, the building of a dedicated aromatic plants database in which all species and cultivars are described (both morphologically and molecularly) is strongly required.