Effect of shigella enterotoxin 1 (ShET1) on rabbit intestine in vitro and in vivo

The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal knot construction for interrupted dermal sutures. A synthetic braided absorbable suture, sizes 3-0 and 5-0, was selected for this evaluation. With reproducible mechanical performance tests, we determined that the construction of secure knots without ears required one additional throw as compared with secure knots with 3-mm ears. The direction of applied tension did not alter knot security, with the exception of granny knots, which required an extra throw when tension was applied parallel to the suture loop. Because interrupted dermal knot construction is accomplished without knot ears and with an applied tension parallel to the wound, one additional throw must be added to the knot to ensure knot security.     

Confocal Blood Flow Videomicroscopy of Thrombus Formation over Human Arteries and Local Targeting of P2X7

Atherothrombosis exposes vascular components to blood. Currently, new antithrombotic therapies are emerging. Herein we investigated thrombogenesis of human arteries with/without atherosclerosis, and the interaction of coagulation and vascular components, we and explored the anti-thrombogenic efficacy of blockade of the P2X purinoceptor 7 (P2X7). A confocal blood flow videomicroscopy system was performed on cryosections of internal mammary artery (IMA) or carotid plaque (CPL) determining/localizing platelets and fibrin. Blood from healthy donors elicited thrombi over arterial layers. Confocal microscopy associated thrombus with tissue presence of collagen type I, laminin, fibrin(ogen) and tissue factor (TF). The addition of antibodies blocking TF (aTF) or factor XI (aFXI) to blood significantly reduced fibrin deposition, variable platelet aggregation and aTF + aFXI almost abolished thrombus formation, showing synergy between coagulation pathways. A scarce effect of aTF over sub-endothelial regions, more abundant in tissue TF and bundles of laminin and collagen type I than deep intima, may suggest tissue thrombogenicity as molecular structure-related. Consistently with TF-related vascular function and expression of P2X7, the sections from CPL but not IMA tissue cultures pre-treated with the P2X7 antagonist A740003 demonstrated poor thrombogenesis in flow experiments. These data hint to local targeting studies on P2X7 modulation for atherothrombosis prevention/therapy.     

Occurrence, synthesis, and mammalian cell cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of haloacetamides: an emerging class of nitrogenous drinking water disinfection byproducts

The haloacetamides, a class of emerging nitrogenous drinking water disinfection byproduct (DBPs), were analyzed for their chronic cytotoxicity and for the induction of genomic DNA damage in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The rank order for cytotoxicity of 13 haloacetamides was DIAcAm > IAcAm > BAcAm > TBAcAm > BIAcAm > DBCAcAm > CIAcAm > BDCAcAm > DBAcAm > BCAcAm > CAcAm > DCAcAm > TCAcAm. The rank order of their genotoxicity was TBAcAm > DIAcAm approximately equal to IAcAm > BAcAm > DBCAcAm > BIAcAm > BDCAcAm > CIAcAm > BCAcAm > DBAcAm > CAcAm > TCAcAm. DCAcAm was not genotoxic. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were primarily determined by the leaving tendency of the halogens and followed the order I > Br > > Cl. With the exception of brominated trihaloacetamides, most of the toxicity rank order was consistent with structure-activity relationship expectations. For di- and trihaloacetamides, the presence of at least one good leaving halogen group (I or Br but not Cl) appears to be critical for significant toxic activity. Log P was not a factor for monohaloacetamides but may play a role in the genotoxicity of trihaloacetamides and possible activation of dihaloacetamides by intracellular GSH and -SH compounds.     

Hydroelastic optimization of a keel fin of a sailing boat: a multidisciplinary robust formulation for ship design

The paper presents a formulation for multidisciplinary design optimization of vessels, subject to uncertain operating conditions. The formulation couples the multidisciplinary design analysis with the Bayesian approach to decision problems affected by uncertainty. In the present context, the design specifications are no longer given in terms of a single operating design point, but in terms of probability density function of the operating scenario. The optimal configuration is that which maximizes the performance expectation over the uncertain parameters variation. In this sense, the optimal solution is “robust” within the stochastic scenario assumed. Theoretical and numerical issues are addressed and numerical results in the hydroelastic optimization of a keel fin of a sailing yacht are presented.     

Novel efficient bit-loading algorithms for peak-energy-limitedADSL-type multicarrier systems

We develop solutions for the loading of digital subscriber loop (DSL) multicarrier (MC) systems that present constraints both on overall available energy and maximum energy per carrier. In the emerging G.DMT-based systems planned for high-throughput multimedia applications, the constraint on the peak-energy arises from spectral compatibility issues. However, until today, optimal solutions for loading peak-energy constrained MC systems do not seem explicitly developed in the literature. Hence, starting from suitable applications of the Kuhn-Tucker conditions, we present the analytical relationships characterizing the optimal solution of the peak-energy-limited loading for the general case of concave "rate-functions", and then, we apply them in the context of the so-called "gap analysis". Thus, a low-complexity iterative algorithm implementing this solution is also developed, and its performance is numerically tested on several ANSI-standard asymmetric DSL (ADSL)-type loops impaired by crosstalk. Furthermore, a version of the presented loading algorithm that guarantees integer bit rates with low computational effort is also presented, and its performance is tested. The carried-out performance comparisons allow us to evaluate the throughput loss induced by peak-energy constraints in emerging ADSL-like services     

Quantum confined Stark effect in semiconductor quantum wellsincluding valence band mixing and Coulomb effects

A complete model for evaluating the electro-optic response of a semiconductor quantum well structure is presented. Heavy and light hole mixing in the valence band is included by using a variational technique to determine the basis states. The excitonic effects, which are clearly evident at room temperature in quantum well structures, arise from Coulomb interaction between the charged particles; the corresponding many body problem is treated in the framework of the second quantization approach, by writing the total Hamiltonian of the interacting electron-hole plasma. The electro-optic responses, for both TE (transverse electric) and TM (transverse magnetic) polarized light, are computed by summing up the contributions of all the different transitions; they show a good agreement with experimental results. Some examples of computed electro-optic spectra for GaAs/AlGaAs compounds are presented     

Optimisation of opaque components of the building envelope. Energy,economic and environmental issues

The European Directive 2002/91 will enforce the Member State to promote the implementation of new measures, instruments and calculation methodology to improve the buildings energy performances. The thermal performance and quality of the Italian residential buildings is generally poor, depending on the age of the building stock and the lack of application of the existing energy regulations. This study aims at demonstrating the global benefits of good insulated building envelopes. Energy benefits are easy to understand, meanwhile the economic issues are critical, since the final users see them as an additional useless extra cost for the dwelling at the purchase phase, with small attention to the future managing costs. The study demonstrates that significant economic advantages come out from high–performance building envelope. The study also shows that environmental extra loads due to a bigger use of the insulating material is paid back in few years, with consistent social benefits, if the life cycle of the building is taken into account.     

Hierarchically Structured Magnetic Nanoconstructs with Enhanced Relaxivity and Cooperative Tumor Accumulation

Iron oxide nanoparticles are formidable multifunctional systems capable of contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging, guidance under remote fields, heat generation, and biodegradation. Yet, this potential is underutilized in that each function manifests at different nanoparticle sizes. Here, sub‐micrometer discoidal magnetic nanoconstructs are realized by confining 5 nm ultra‐small super‐paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIOs) within two different mesoporous structures, made out of silicon and polymers. These nanoconstructs exhibit transversal relaxivities up to ≈10 times (r ₂ ≈ 835 mm ^?1 s^?1) higher than conventional USPIOs and, under external magnetic fields, collectively cooperate to amplify tumor accumulation. The boost in r ₂ relaxivity arises from the formation of mesoscopic USPIO clusters within the porous matrix, inducing a local reduction in water molecule mobility as demonstrated via molecular dynamics simulations. The cooperative accumulation under static magnetic field derives from the large amount of iron that can be loaded per nanoconstuct (up to ≈65 fg) and the consequential generation of significant inter‐particle magnetic dipole interactions. In tumor bearing mice, the silicon‐based nanoconstructs provide MRI contrast enhancement at much smaller doses of iron (≈0.5 mg of Fe kg^?1 animal) as compared to current practice.