Combined Raman and IR spectroscopic study on the radical-based modifications of methionine

Among damages reported to occur on proteins, radical-based changes of methionine (Met) residues are one of the most important convalent post-translational modifications. The combined application of Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopies for the characterisation of the radical-induced modifications of Met is described here. Gamma-irradiation was used to simulate the endogenous formation of reactive species such as hydrogen atoms ( •H), hydroxyl radicals ( •OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2). These spectroscopic techniques coupled to mass experiments are suitable tools in detecting almost all the main radical-induced degradation products of Met that depend on the nature of the reactive species. In particular, Raman spectroscopy is useful in revealing the radical-induced modifications in the sulphur-containing moiety, whereas the IR spectra allow decarboxylation and deamination processes to be detected, as well as the formation of other degradation products. Thus, some band patterns useful for building a library of spectra-structure correlation for radical-based degradation of Met were identified. In particular, the bands due to the formation of methionine sulfoxide, the main oxidation product of Met, have been identified. All together, these results combine to produce a set of spectroscopic markers of the main processes occurring as a consequence of radical stress exposure, which can be used in a spectroscopic protocol for providing a first assessment of Met modifications in more complex systems such as peptides and proteins, and monitoring their impact on protein structure.Fil: Torreggiani, A.. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Barata Vallejo, Sebastian. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Italia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Chatgilialoglu, C.. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Itali

Developing a 3D City Digital Twin: Enhancing Walkability through a Green Pedestrian Network (GPN) in the City of Imola, Italy

Predominantly, dense historical cities face insufficient pedestrian-level greenery in the urban spaces. The lack of greenery impacts the human thermal comfort on the walking paths, which contributes to a considerable reduction in pedestrian flow rate. This study aims at developing a model to assess pedestrian-level thermal comfort in city environments and then evaluate the feasibility of creating a green pedestrian network (GPN). Imola, as a historical city in Italy with a compact urban pattern, is selected as the case study of this paper. To accomplish this, a three-dimensional digital twin at city scale is developed for the recognition of real-time shade patterns and for designing a GPN in this city. The 3D model of the proposed digital twin is developed in the Rhinoceros platform, and the physiological equivalence temperature (PET) is simulated through EnergyPlus, Honeybee, and Ladybug components in grasshopper. This study provides the city with a digital twin that is capable of examining pedestrian-level thermal comfort for designing a GPN based on real-time PET in the compact urban morphology of Imola. The PET model indicates that during the hottest hour of the 25th of June, pedestrians in open spaces can experience 3  C more than on narrow shaded streets. The results are validated based on in situ datasets that prove the reliability of the developed digital twin for the GPN. It provides urban planners and policy makers with a precise and useful methodology for simulating the effects of pedestrian-level urban greenery on human thermal comfort and also guarantees the functionality of policies in different urban settings

Chemical and physical characterization of thermal aggregation of model proteins modulated by zinc (II) and copper (II) ions.

BACKGROUND: Metal ions are implicated in protein aggregation processes of several neurodegenerative pathologies, where the protein deposition occurs, and in the biotechnology field like the food technology where many processes in food manufacturing are based on thermal treatments. OBJECTIVE: The influence of Cu2+ or Zn2+ ions on the thermal aggregation process of Bovine beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), two protein models, was studied with the aim of delineating the role of these ions in the protein aggregation kinetics and to clarify the related molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The protein structure changes were monitored by Raman spectroscopy, whereas the aggregate growth was followed by Dynamic Light Scattering measurements. RESULTS: Both metal ions are able to favour the BLG aggregation, whereas only Zn2+ ions have a promoter effect on the thermal aggregation of BSA. The reason of this different behaviour is that the BLG aggregation evolution is manly affected by the redistribution of charges, whereas that of BSA by the metal coordination binding which depends on metal. CONCLUSIONS: Raman spectroscopy, combined with dynamic light scattering experiments, was very useful in identifying the role played by Cu2+ and Zn2+ on the aggregation pathways of BLG and BSA. The results provide evidence for the role of histidine residues both in the redistribution of charges and in the two modes of metal binding that take place in BLG- and BSA-containing systems, respectively

A comparison of energy and thermal performance of rooftop greenhouses and green roofs in Mediterranean climate: A hygrothermal assessment in WuFi

In urban areas, a considerable proportion of energy demand is allocated to buildings. Since rooftops constitute one-fourth of all urban surfaces, an increasing amount of attention is paid to achieving the most efficient shapes and component designs compatible with every climate and urban context, for rooftops of varying sizes. In this study, three types of rooftop technologies, namely insulated, green roof, and rooftop greenhouse, are evaluated for energy and thermal performance using computer simulations. Water surface exposure, absorption, and intrusion are the three important factors in the calculation of hygrothermal models that impact energy consumption and building envelope performance; however, a few studies are specifically focused on providing realistic results in multi-dimensional hygrothermal models and the assessment of the impact of moisture in roofing solutions. This paper aims at evaluating the performance of three different roofing technologies through a two-dimensional hygrothermal simulation in software WUFI. To accomplish this, a precise localized microclimate model of a complex urban context on the scale of a neighborhood was employed to evaluate the cooling and heating loads of the buildings, the impact of the water content in the green roof on the thermal behavior of the roof surface, and the feasibility of designing a building with nearly zero cooling needs. A two-story building in the city center of Bologna, Italy is modelled. Simulation results have shown that during the cooling period, the performance of the designed rooftop greenhouse is the most effective by 50% reduction in cooling loads. Besides, the impact of moisture in green roofs has been detected as a negative factor for thermal and energy performance of the building in the Mediterranean climate. The results ultimately highlighted the capability of passively-designed rooftop greenhouses to create a building with nearly zero cooling needs

Turning agricultural wastes into biomaterials: Assessing the sustainability of scenarios of circular valorization of corn cob in a life-cycle perspective

Circular economy plays a key role in increasing the sustainability of the agricultural sector, given the countless possibilities of transforming crop residues and recycling precious resources. The maize cultivation process produces a significant amount of residual organic materials, commonly left on the field, as a soil conditioner and source of nutrients even if some parts, such as the cob, play a minor role in these actions. The solutions for the valorization of this remnant depend on economic and environmental factors and the evaluation of the environmental performances of the processes in a life-cycle perspective is important to compare the overall sustainability of the valorization alternatives, maximizing their environmental added value. This work reports the results of Life Cycle Analysis, from cradle-to-gate of corn cob valorized as a raw material in two scenarios: corn cob pellet and corn cob abrasive grits to use as blasting or finishing media. A comparative study has been performed with two products available on the market and with the same functions. The results show that cob-based products have lower impact than those currently used. The work provides indication for evaluating the benefits of turning agricultural wastes in natural-based materials and intends to promote circular economy processes in agriculture production

Hollow Au/Ag nanostars displaying broad plasmonic resonance and high surface-enhanced Raman sensitivity

9 pas.; 7 figs.; 2 tabs.This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry. Bimetallic Au/Ag hollow nanostar (HNS) nanoparticles with different morphologies were prepared in this work. These nanoplatforms were obtained by changing the experimental conditions (concentration of silver and chemical reductors, hydroxylamine and citrate) and by using Ag nanostars as template nanoparticles (NPs) through galvanic replacement. The goal of this research was to create bimetallic Au/Ag star-shaped nanoparticles with advanced properties displaying a broader plasmonic resonance, a cleaner exposed surface, and a high concentration of electromagnetic hot spots on the surface provided by the special morphology of nanostars. The size, shape, and composition of Ag as well as their optical properties were studied by extinction spectroscopy, hyperspectral dark field microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Finally, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of these HNS was investigated by using thioflavin T, a biomarker of the β-amyloid fibril formation, responsible for Alzheimer's disease. Lucigenin, a molecule displaying different SERS activities on Au and Ag, was also used to explore the presence of these metals on the NP surface. Thus, a relationship between the morphology, plasmon resonance and SERS activity of these new NPs was made.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO, grant FIS2014-52212- R). A. G.-L. acknowledges CSIC and FSE 2007–2013 for a JAE-CSIC predoctoral grant.Peer Reviewe

Nephroprotection by SGLT2i in CKD Patients: May It Be Modulated by Low-Protein Plant-Based Diets?

Sodium-glucose-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are a new class of anti-diabetic drugs that in large trials such as CREDENCE have shown also a reduction of glomerular hyperfiltration and albuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients. Hence, the interest toward SGLT2i is focused toward this potential nephroprotective effect, in order to reduce the progression to overt nephropathy, and it seems to be confirmed in the most recent DAPA-CKD trial. This is the reason why the indication for SGLT2i treatment has been extended to chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with eGFR up to 30 ml/min, namely with CKD stage 1–3. In patients with CKD stage 3 to 5, the most recent KDIGO guidelines recommend low-protein diet and plant-based regimens to delay end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and improve quality of life. Similarly to SGLT2i, low-protein diets exert renal-protective effects by reducing single nephron hyperfiltration and urinary protein excretion. Beyond the glomerular hemodynamic effects, both protein restriction and SGLT2i are able to restore autophagy and, through these mechanisms, they may exert protective effects on diabetic kidney disease. In this perspective, it is likely that diet may modulate the effect of SGLT2i in CKD patients. Unfortunately, no data are available on the outcomes of the association of SGLT2i and low-protein and/or vegan diets. It is therefore reasonable to investigate whether CKD patients receiving SGLT2i may have further advantages in terms of nephroprotection from the implementation of a low-protein and/or plant-based diet or whether this association does not result in an additive effect, especially in vascular nephropathies

Methodology for sensor calibration in agro-industrial facilities

The rising need of precision in several sectors, agriculture included, brings to the development of new monitoring systems customised for the specific application. These systems often take advantages of probes offered by the market, however, the integration between market probes and home-built systems, requires tests to validate the recorded measurements.This paper provides a methodology to perform a calibration procedure when the probes fail the validation test.The results show the comparison of the measurements collected by investigated sensors and reference sensor coupled with the application of simple correlation methods can bring to an improvement of the sensor precision as far as to pass the validation test

Of mice and men: The effect of maternal protein restriction on offspring’s kidney health. Are studies on rodents applicable to chronic kidney disease patients? A narrative review

In the almost 30 years that have passed since the postulation of the “Developmental Origins of Health and Disease” theory, it has been clearly demonstrated that a mother’s dietary habits during pregnancy have potential consequences for her offspring that go far beyond in utero development. Protein malnutrition during pregnancy, for instance, can cause severe alterations ranging from intrauterine growth retardation to organ damage and increased susceptibility to hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease (CKD) later in life both in experimental animals and humans. Conversely, a balanced mild protein restriction in patients affected by CKD has been shown to mitigate the biochemical derangements associated with kidney disease and even slow its progression. The first reports on the management of pregnant CKD women with a moderately protein-restricted plant-based diet appeared in the literature a few years ago. Today, this approach is still being debated, as is the optimal source of protein during gestation in CKD. The aim of this report is to critically review the available literature on the topic, focusing on the similarities and differences between animal and clinical studies