Steel-to-concrete bond after concrete splitting: test results

The definite trend towards the use of large-diameter rebars and the introduction of high-strength steels (f _y=500 to 600 MPa) make it necessary to study the effects of longitudinal splitting on the steel-to-concrete bond. The study of splitting effects requires firstly basic tests to be performed in order to gather experimental information on bond and confinement stresses acting at the bar-to-concrete interface. For this purpose, three series of tests were recently carried out at the Politecnico di Milano. The results make it possible to ascertain a few basic properties of the bond after concrete splitting, and to formulate empirical constitutive laws regarding the stresses and the displacements (bar slip and opening of the splitting crack). All specimens consisted of a short deformed bar embedded in a concrete block, which had a preformed splitting crack in the plane passing through the bar axis: twelve specimens (Tests A and C) were fitted up with a round deformed bar having crescent-shaped lugs (D_b=18 mm); seven specimens (Tests B) were fitted up with a specially machined deformed bar having a rectangular cross-section and straigth, lugs, so that concrete deterioration close to the bar could be investigated at the surface of the specimen, by means of the moiré technique. The tests were carried out at constant slip rate, up to very large slip values ( ); both the ascending and the descending branches of the stress-slip curves were measured, for four different values of the opening of the splitting crack. The agreement among the results of the three series is generally satisfactory and often very good: consequently, constitutive laws regarding the four main variables (crack opening and bar slip, shear and confinement stresses) can be worked out, as will be shown in a companion paper on constitutive relationships and on concrete deterioration at the bar-to-concrete interface.     

Measuring institutional research productivity for the life sciences: the importance of accounting for the order of authors in the byline

Accurate measurement of institutional research productivity should account for the real contribution of the research staff to the output produced in collaboration with other organizations. In the framework of bibliometric measurement, this implies accounting for both the number of co-authors and each individual’s real contribution to scientific publications. Common practice in the life sciences is to indicate such contribution through the order of author names in the byline. In this work, we measure the distortion introduced to university-level bibliometric productivity rankings when the number of co-authors or their position in the byline is ignored. The field of observation consists of all Italian universities active in the life sciences (Biology and Medicine). The analysis is based on the research output of the university staff over the period 2004–2008. Based on the results, we recommend against the use of bibliometric indicators that ignore co-authorship and real contribution of each author to research outputs.     

The maximal thickness for everted equilibrium shapes of elastic spherical caps

This work is devoted to a qualitative and numerical study of the solution path of a nonlinear functional equation describing the everted equilibrium shapes of an elastic spherical cap.     

Resuspension of Particulate Matter from Carpet Due to Human Activity

This work investigated the resuspension and subsequent translocation of particulate matter (PM) from carpeted flooring surfaces due to walking. In addition, the effect of HVAC systems and ceiling fans on mixing and/or translocation of resuspended PM was studied. Testing took place both in a residence with a well-worn, soiled carpet and in an environmental test chamber. Prescribed walking occurred with PM measurements taken at multiple sampling heights. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of carpet fibers was used to determine the fraction of dust available for resuspension. These data, in conjunction with resuspended mass concentrations from this study, were used to generate emission factors by particle size for walking on both new and worn carpet.

Carpet loading does not affect the emission factor, indicating that the amount of resuspended PM is directly proportional to the available PM in the carpet. While relative humidity (RH) plays an important role in resuspension from new carpets, with high RH enhancing resuspension, it has the opposite affect with old carpets, with increased RH decreasing resuspension. With the HVAC system on, translocated particles 1.2 m horizontally from the source had number concentrations of approximately 20–40% of those at the source. With a ceiling fan on, extensive mixing was noted with little difference seen in particle resuspension by height. With the ceiling fan off, there was very little mixing present and particle size varied substantially by height.     

Protein kinase C is required for the disappearance of MPF upon artificial activation in mouse eggs

The aim of the present study was to investigate the implication of protein kinase C (PKC) in the mouse egg activation process. We used OAG (1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol) as a PKC activator, calphostin C as a specific PKC inhibitor, and the calcium ionophore A23187 as a standard parthenogenetic agent. The exposure of zona-free eggs to 150 microM or 50 microM OAG for 10 min resulted in meiosis II completion in approximately 80% of instances. By contrast, at a lower concentration (25 microM), the PKC stimulator was ineffective as parthenogenetic agent. Shortly after the application of 150 microM OAG, the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) increased transiently in all the eggs examined, whereas after the addition of 50 microM OAG, [Ca2+]i remained unchanged for at least 20 min. During this period, the activity of M-phase promoting factor (MPF) dramatically decreased and most of the eggs entered anaphase except when the PKC was inhibited by calphostin C. Similarly, MPF inactivation and meiosis resumption were prevented in calphostin C-loaded eggs following treatment with A23187, even though the ionophore-induced Ca2+ signalling was not affected. Taken together, our results indicate that stimulation of PKC is a sufficient and necessary event to induce meiosis resumption in mouse eggs and strongly suggest that, in this species, the mechanism by which a transient calcium burst triggers MPF inactivation involves a PKC-dependent pathway.     

Induction of apoptosis by a short-chain neuropeptide analog in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells express a variety of neuropeptides which act as autocrine growth factors. Although several neuropeptide analogs have been reported to antagonize SCLC proliferation, the development of these compounds has been limited by their low potency and the cytostatic nature of their effects. In the present study we evaluated the cytotoxic activity of four short-chain substance P analogs (NY3460, NY3238[-pHOPA], NY3238[Phe1], NY3238[Lys5]) against a panel of five SCLC cell lines. NY3460 was the most potent compound in all five SCLC cell lines (IC50 = 2.8-3.7 microM) as assessed by a MTT growth inhibitory assay. NY3238[Phe1] was also relatively active in all cell lines (IC50 = 3.5-11.2 microM), while NY3238[Lys5] and NY3238[-pHOPA] were substantially less active. NY3460 was the only agent to induce an increase in the percentage of cells with subdiploid DNA content suggestive of apoptosis by flow cytometric DNA content analysis. The induction of apoptosis was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy in NCI-H69, NCI-H82, NCI-H446, and NCI-H510 cells after exposure to 5.0 microM NY3460 for 48 h. These findings suggest that NY3460 is a relatively potent cytotoxic inhibitor of SCLC growth, and that short-chain neuropeptide analogs deserve further evaluation as anti-SCLC agents.     

Soluble or bound laminin elicit in human neuroblastoma cells short- or long-term potentiation of a K+ inwardly rectifying current: relevance to neuritogenesis

Changes in the resting potential (VREST) and in the underlying ionic conductances were measured by the patch-clamp technique in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells exposed to substrate-bound or soluble Laminin (bLN; sLN), as compared to integrin-independent substrates (polylysine (PL); bovine serum albumin (BSA)). While PL and BSA were ineffective, both forms of LN caused an early (5-15 min) activation of a peculiar type of Inwardly Rectifying K+ current (IIR) characterised by a voltage-dependent inactivation in the range of membrane potentials around -50/0 mV. IIR was blocked by Cs+ ions and by the antiarrhythmic drug E-4031, a specific inhibitor of the HERG-codified channels. In cells adherent to bLN, IIR potentiation (85%) persisted for 90-120 min and was accompanied by a similar, but transient, increase in the leakage conductance (GL). Successively, the persistence of a high IIR conductance and the decrease of GL progressively bring VREST from -12 to approximately -30 mV in about 120 min. On the other hand, in cells adherent to PL, exposure to sLN produced a similar but not persistent activation of IIR, without any increase in GL: this caused a rapid, transient hyperpolarisation of VREST. The effects of bLN and sLN were mimicked by antibodies raised against the integrin beta 1 subunit, suggesting a specific integrin-mediated mechanism. In fact, when bound to the culture dishes, these antibodies simultaneously activated the IIR and GL, whereas in soluble form they only activated IIR. Cells adherent to bLN emitted neurites, a process impaired by the block of IIR by E-4031 and Cs+. On the whole data suggest that the integrin-mediated activation of IIR plays a crucial role in the commitment to neuritogenesis of neuroblastoma cells, independently on the effects of this activation on VREST.     

Sui funzionali ipergaussiani trigonometrici

In this paper it is proved that the linear functionals defined by Gauss-Tchebychef's quadrature formulae with multiple nodes, have remarkable convergence properties.