Development of semi-theoretical light radiation and photosynthetic growth model for the optimal exploitation of wastewaters by microalgae

In the last decade, interest toward the potential application of microalgae has grown considering their potential use in industrial sectors as human nutrition and health, animal feed and biopolymers. Their ability to use light or/and organic carbon as energy source, makes them able to grow in a wide range of conditions. Because of that, the possibility to use alternative nutrients and water sources for their cultivation has been investigated. The microalgal cultivation using wastewaters mixed with synthetic medium might be a good combination that could reduce costs of water, nutrients and wastewater treatment. Anyway, wastewaters are frequently dark colored and contain toxic compounds that could have a negative impact on microalgal light uptake and metabolism. In this study, an experimental first principles hybrid method for the estimation of microalgal growth in non-transparent media was developed as a guide in the choice of the best formulation of wastewater-based culture media for microalgae. To carry out several experimental runs in parallel with different conditions (dilution of the wastewater, different light sources, etc.) a cylindrical bubble column PhotoBioReactor (PBR) was adopted. Its simple geometry allows the analysis of inside light fluxes. A non-metabolizable and non-toxic dye, in condition of purely light-radiative growth limitation, was added to the medium mimicking the reduced transparency of wastewaters. As final step to test the model, culture mediums with wastewater addiction were used for microalgal cultivation, showing their nutritive effects on growth

More favorable metabolic impact of three-times-weekly versus daily growth hormone (GH) treatment in na\uefve GH-deficient children

OBJECTIVE: Growth hormone treatment (GHT) is commonly administered daily, although pulsatile GH secretion is unlikely to be achieved. The auxological effect of a three-injections-per-week (TIW) regimen is controversial, while the metabolic effects have been never evaluated in children. The objective was to evaluate whether two different regimens of weekly injections could lead to similar auxological and metabolic effects in children with GH deficiency (GHD). DESIGN: 32 GHD children (25 males, mean age 10.5 \ub1 2.2 yr) were randomly assigned to receive daily (group A, No 16) or TIW (group B, No 16) GHT for 12 months. METHODS: Auxological parameters, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), glucose and insulin during OGTT, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile, the oral disposition index (DIo), the homeostasis model assessment estimate of insulin resistance (Homa-IR) and the insulin sensitivity index (ISI). RESULTS: After 12 months, both groups showed a significant and comparable improvement in height (p<0.001) and IGF-I (p<0.001). As regards the metabolic parameters, in both groups we found a significant increase in fasting insulin (p<0.001 and p=0.026) and Homa-IR (p<0.001 and p=0.019). A significant increase in fasting glucose (p=0.001) and a decrease in ISI (p<0.001) and DIo (p=0.002) were only found in group A. CONCLUSIONS: The TIW regimen is effective and comparable with the daily regimen in improving auxological parameters and has a more favorable metabolic impact in GHD children (www.ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT03033121)

Can oral infection be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a scourge of longevity that will drain enormous resources from public health budgets in the future. Currently, there is no diagnostic biomarker and/or treatment for this most common form of dementia in humans. AD can be of early familial-onset or sporadic with a late-onset. Apart from the two main hallmarks, amyloid-beta and neurofibrillary tangles, inflammation is a characteristic feature of AD neuropathology. Inflammation may be caused by a local central nervous system insult and/or by peripheral infections. Numerous microorganisms are suspected in AD brains ranging from bacteria (mainly oral and non-oral Treponema species), viruses (Herpes simplex type I) and yeasts (Candida species). A causal relationship between periodontal pathogens/non-oral Treponema species of bacteria has been proposed via the amyloid-beta and inflammatory links. Periodontitis constitutes a peripheral oral infection that can provide the brain with intact bacteria and virulence factors and inflammatory mediators due to daily, transient bacteraemias. If and when genetic risk factors meet environmental risk factors in the brain, disease is expressed, in which neurocognition may be impacted, leading to the development of dementia. To achieve the goal of finding a diagnostic biomarker and possible prophylactic treatment for AD, there is an initial need to solve the etiological puzzle contributing to its pathogenesis. This review therefore addresses oral infection as the plausible aetiology of late onset AD (LOAD)

Production and processing of biodegradable and compostable biomaterials

Nowadays, European countries have established restrictive rules for everyday plastic products, increasing the biodegradable bioplastic market size. This new type of plastic closely follows the aforementioned guidelines, with a very low environmental impact; the negative aspect of this market share is that global biodegradable plastics are affected by high cost of production, lowering the investors' interest for future investments. On the other side, the wide range of fields of application (from packaging to automotive and transport) with features and quality comparable with the classic plastics makes the bioplastics very attractive and competitive. In this work, formulation and manufacturing of new biopolymers and blends will be discussed

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 promote and stabilize hard and soft tissue healing for large mandibular new bone reconstruction defects

Numerous autogenous bone-grafting procedures are available for the recovering of large continuity defects of the mandible. However, these surgical techniques present several limitations involving postoperative morbidity and pain. The development of new bone technique reconstruction not involving autogenous bone graft would offer new opportunities for facial bone reconstruction. This report highlights the possibility of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein type 2 (rhBMP-2) application without concomitant bone grafting material in the restoration of continuity critical-sized defects after tumor resection in the mandible. The presented case shows a large mandibular reconstruction after tumor removal in a 31-year-old white man affected by ameloblastoma. In this case, the rhBMP-2 application with a carrier consisted on absorbable collagen sponge gives excellent newly formed bone at 18 months of control clinical and radiologic follow-up. The results indicated that the use of rhBMP-2 without concomitant autogenous bone grafting materials in large critical-sized mandibular defects secondary to large mandibular tumor produced excellent regeneration of the treated area. Erratum in: J Craniofac Surg. 2014 Jul;25(4):1563. Scott, Alan[corrected to Herford, Alan Scott] and Cicci\uf9, Domenico[corrected to Cicci\uf9,Dominico]

Deep-HyROMnet: A Deep Learning-Based Operator Approximation for Hyper-Reduction of Nonlinear Parametrized PDEs

To speed-up the solution of parametrized differential problems, reduced order models (ROMs) have been developed over the years, including projection-based ROMs such as the reduced-basis (RB) method, deep learning-based ROMs, as well as surrogate models obtained through machine learning techniques. Thanks to its physics-based structure, ensured by the use of a Galerkin projection of the full order model (FOM) onto a linear low-dimensional subspace, the Galerkin-RB method yields approximations that fulfill the differential problem at hand. However, to make the assembling of the ROM independent of the FOM dimension, intrusive and expensive hyper-reduction techniques, such as the discrete empirical interpolation method (DEIM), are usually required, thus making this strategy less feasible for problems characterized by (high-order polynomial or nonpolynomial) nonlinearities. To overcome this bottleneck, we propose a novel strategy for learning nonlinear ROM operators using deep neural networks (DNNs). The resulting hyper-reduced order model enhanced by DNNs, to which we refer to as Deep-HyROMnet, is then a physics-based model, still relying on the RB method approach, however employing a DNN architecture to approximate reduced residual vectors and Jacobian matrices once a Galerkin projection has been performed. Numerical results dealing with fast simulations in nonlinear structural mechanics show that Deep-HyROMnets are orders of magnitude faster than POD-Galerkin-DEIM ROMs, still ensuring the same level of accuracy

Astaxanthin extraction from Paracoccus carotinifaciens employing fatty acid based natural deep eutectic solvents

Astaxanthin is a red-orange pigment widely used as a natural dye, additive in animal feed (salmonids) and for human consumption as dietary supplements. Recently, the consumers’ demand for natural-based products has encouraged to exploit the high added value bioactive compounds obtained by biomass, for applications in food industry, was explored. Researchers made an effort to develop sustainable extraction processes to guarantee the biocompatibility and safety of the products. In the present work, the possibility of employing fatty acids based NaDES (Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents) as a non-toxic alternative to traditional hydroalcoholic solvents for the extraction of astaxanthin from Paracoccus Carotinifaciens was evaluated. Furthermore, the extraction kinetic was studied by using mass transfer and reaction kinetic models. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated at each extraction time by ABTS assay. Experimental results show that the extraction yield was up to 60% and the reaction kinetic model provided a slightly better fitting of the data, when compared to the mass transfer mode