In vivo assessment of human skeletal muscle mitochondria respiration in health and disease

One of many problems to be faced when assessing in vivo human muscle mitochondria respiration by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) is the definition of the correct reference population and the values of reference range. To take into account most factors that influence muscle activity as age, sex, physical activity; nutritional state etc., an exceedingly high number of different reference groups are needed. To overcome this problem we developed specific tests to assess separately in vivo the activity and the functionality of muscle mitochondria by 31P-MRS in clinical settings. By activity we refer to muscle whole metabolic activity, i.e. the total oxidative capacity of muscle mitochondria which is influenced by many factors (age, sex, physical activity, nutritional state etc.). By functionality we refer to the qualitative aspects of mitochondrial respiration which depends on the integrity of mitochondrial multienzyme systems and on substrate availability. Our tests have been experienced on some 1200 patients and are currently used to detect deficits of mitochondrial respiration and ion transport in patients with suspected primary or secondary muscle mitochondrial malfunctioning.     

IMP2, a nuclear gene controlling the mitochondrial dependence of galactose, maltose and raffinose utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The IMP2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is involved in the nucleo-mitochondrial control of maltose, galactose and raffinose utilization as shown by the inability of imp2 mutants to grow on these carbon sources in respiratory-deficient conditions or in the presence of ethidium bromide and erythromycin. The negative phenotype cannot be scored in the presence of inhibitors of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation, indicating that the role of the mitochondria in the utilization of the above-mentioned carbon sources in imp2 mutants is not at the energetical level. Mutations in the IMP2 gene also confer many phenotypic alterations in respiratory-sufficient conditions, e.g. leaky phenotype on oxidizable carbon sources, sensitivity to heat shock and sporulation deficiency. The IMP2 gene has been cloned, sequenced and disrupted. The phenotype of null imp2 mutants is indistinguishable from that of the originally isolated mutant.     

A VLIW processor with reconfigurable instruction set for embedded applications

This paper describes a new architecture for embedded reconfigurable computing, based on a very-long instruction word (VLIW) processor enhanced with an additional run-time configurable datapath. The reconfigurable unit is tightly coupled with the processor, featuring an application-specific instruction-set extension. Mapping computation intensive algorithmic portions on the reconfigurable unit allows a more efficient elaboration, thus leading to an improvement in both timing performance and power consumption. A test chip has been implemented in a standard 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. The test of a signal processing algorithmic benchmark showed speedups ranging from 4.3/spl times/ to 13.5/spl times/ and energy consumption reduced up to 92%.     

A preliminary study of a diagonal channel-routing model

The layout of two-terminal nets in a VLSI channel is realized in a new diagonal channel-routing model (DCRM), where the tracks are segments respectively displayed at +45 ° and –45 ° on the two layers of the channel. A new definition of channel density is introduced, and a lower bound to the channel width is derived by the application of an algorithm, whose complexity is evaluated as a function of the channel density, and other parameters of the problem.A simple linear-time algorithm is proposed, which produces an optimal layout (i.e., it requires a channel of minimum width) if the length of the longest net equals the lower bound for the channel width. In any case, the number of vias is at most one for each net. Some particular solutions are proposed for problems with long nets.Specific problems are much easier in DCRM than in the classical Manhattan model. For example, any shift-by-i can be realized in DCRM in a channel of widthi.This work has been supported by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche of Italy under a research grant.     

Chromium (VI) removal by methylated biomass of Spirulina platensis: The effect of methylation process

Biosorption of heavy metals is an interesting approach to treat industrial wastewaters by an environmentally friendly system. Spirulina platensis biomass, an effective biosorbent for cations, cannot be used to adsorb chromate due to its negatively charged surface close to neutral conditions; therefore, methylation of biomass was performed to increase its adsorption capacity under these conditions. Batch adsorption tests carried out varying both Cr(VI) and methylated biomass concentrations showed that 2–4 g l^?1 of biosorbent were able to remove Cr(VI) with efficiency ≥80%, while higher Cr(VI) levels (43–50 mg l^?1) showed low removal efficiency. The model of Langmuir was shown to describe the adsorption phenomenon better than the Freundlich one. The values of the overall adsorption capacity of methylated biomass suggested that increased biosorbent availability does not necessarily correspond to larger amount of adsorbed metal. FT-IR spectra of dried and methylated biomass of S. platensis allowed us monitoring the efficiency of the methylation process through the analysis of CH and COO^? vibrational stretching modes, taken as diagnostic of this process.     

On the optimal design of water distribution networks: a practical MINLP approach

We propose a practical solution method for real-world instances of a water-network optimization problem with fixed topology using a nonconvex continuous NLP (NonLinear Programming) relaxation and a MINLP (Mixed Integer NonLinear Programming) search. Our approach employs a relatively simple and accurate model that pays some attention to the requirements of the solvers that we employ. Our view is that in doing so, with the goal of calculating only good feasible solutions, complicated algorithmics can be confined to the MINLP solver. We report successful computational experience using available open-source MINLP software on problems from the literature and on difficult real-world instances. An important contribution of this paper is that the solutions obtained, besides being low cost, are immediately usable in practice because they are characterized by an allocation of diameters to pipes that leads to a correct hydraulic operation of the network. This is not the case for most of the other methods presented in the literature.     

Removal of exhausted oils by adsorption on mixed Ca and Mg oxides

Adsorption tests were performed on two different exhausted oils to reduce their polluting and health hazard potential: a "water-insoluble oil", utilised for automotive engine lubrication, and an "emulsified" oil, used as coolant for metal-cutting tools. Dolomite, a low-cost recovery material, was used to prepare two effective adsorbents: (a) a mixed Ca and Mg oxide obtained by thermal decomposition of dolomite at 1800 degrees C, and (b) an activated material obtained by submitting this product to chemical treatment with HCl. Preliminary tests carried out with an excess of the former material showed that the insoluble oil was adsorbed with lower yield (Y = 0.40) than the soluble (emulsified) oil (Y = 0.60). The material activation with HCl remarkably improved the adsorption of soluble oil organic fraction (Y > 0.90), while only a little increase in the removal yield was observed for the insoluble oil (Y = 0.44). The results presented and discussed in this work pointed out that the products of dolomite calcination can successfully replace the conventional adsorbing materials in the removal of organic pollutants, with particular concern to exhausted soluble oils, which cannot usually be recycled, thus reducing the operational costs of their treatment.     

A preliminary study of a diagonal channel-routing model

The layout of two-terminal nets in a VLSI channel is realized in a new diagonal channel-routing model (DCRM), where the tracks are segments respectively displayed at +45 ° and ?45 ° on the two layers of the channel. A new definition of channel density is introduced, and a lower bound to the channel width is derived by the application of an algorithm, whose complexity is evaluated as a function of the channel density, and other parameters of the problem. A simple linear-time algorithm is proposed, which produces an optimal layout (i.e., it requires a channel of minimum width) if the length of the longest net equals the lower bound for the channel width. In any case, the number of vias is at most one for each net. Some particular solutions are proposed for problems with long nets. Specific problems are much easier in DCRM than in the classical Manhattan model. For example, any shift-by-i can be realized in DCRM in a channel of widthi.     

LYS2 gene and its mutation in Kluyveromyces lactis

The KlLYS2 gene, encoding the alpha-aminoadipate reductase of Kluyveromyces lactis, was isolated by complementation of a lysA1 mutant. The deduced amino acid sequence shared an identity of 73% with the LYS2 product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Despite the high sequence homology of the alpha-aminoadipate reductase genes, the two yeast species differently responded to the presence of alpha-aminoadipate in the medium. Wild-type S. cerevisiae is known to be sensitive to alpha-aminoadipate, but becomes resistant when mutated to lys2. In contrast, K. lactis strains were found to be naturally resistant to alpha-aminoadipate. Therefore, the positive selection procedure for the isolation of lys2 mutants on alpha-aminoadipate, as practised in S. cerevisiae, cannot be applied to K. lactis. A possible reason of this difference may be that the catalytic rate of the alpha-aminoadipate reductase differs in the two yeasts. The EMBL/Genbank Accession No. for the KlLYS2 gene is AJ504405.