Sta Cast : Linee guida per la progettazione di getti in lega di alluminio

StaCast (New Quality and Design Standards for Aluminium Alloys Cast Products) è un progetto europeo dedicato allefonderie dell’alluminio con l’obiettivo di sviluppare una nuova classificazione dei difetti strutturali nei getti e di definiredei limiti di accettabilità di questi difetti a seconda della destinazione finale prevista. Il raggiungimento di questo obiettivoaiuterà significativamente le fonderie a ridurre il costo della non-qualità, migliorando nel contempo il loro margine dicompetitività grazie al conseguimento di importanti vantaggi, per esempio nei costi dell’energia. StaCast ha condotto unavasta indagine tra le fonderie europee per conoscere le caratteristiche principali della loro produzione, in quale misuraesse utilizzano gli Standard CEN, il bisogno di nuovi strumenti normativi riferiti ai difetti, alle proprietà meccaniche e allaprogettazione meccanica di getti in lega d’alluminio. Questo articolo presenta i principali risultati di tale indagine, che hacoinvolto circa 80 aziende, e l’impostazione dei documenti normativi che sono stati elaborati sulla Classificazione deiDifetti e sul Potenziale Meccanico di getti in lega d’alluminio

Simulation of fluidity in AL-SI alloys

In this study, MAGMA soft® commercial software package was used to simulate the fluidity of A356 alloy. Established an optimum mesh generation, the influence of important metallurgical parameters, such as heat transfer coefficient, casting temperature and coherency temperature, on fluidity were simulated. The simulation results were compared with fluidity laboratory tests carried out with spiral-shaped sand moulds and the results from the simulations were found to be consistent with the experiments. Therefore, this study sets a basis for more extensive use of simulations as a means for predicting and optimizing the fluidity of aluminium alloys. In addition, the results from the spiral-shaped mould tests were compared with vacuum fluidity tests carried out using an A356 alloy and the two techniques showed consistent results

Microparticle-mediated transfer of the viral receptors CAR and CD46, and the CFTR channel in a CHO cell model confers new functions to target cells

Cell microparticles (MPs) released in the extracellular milieu can embark plasma membrane and intracellular components which are specific of their cellular origin, and transfer them to target cells. The MP-mediated, cell-to-cell transfer of three human membrane glycoproteins of different degrees of complexity was investigated in the present study, using a CHO cell model system. We first tested the delivery of CAR and CD46, two monospanins which act as adenovirus receptors, to target CHO cells. CHO cells lack CAR and CD46, high affinity receptors for human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV5), and serotype 35 (HAdV35), respectively. We found that MPs derived from CHO cells (MP-donor cells) constitutively expressing CAR (MP-CAR) or CD46 (MP-CD46) were able to transfer CAR and CD46 to target CHO cells, and conferred selective permissiveness to HAdV5 and HAdV35. In addition, target CHO cells incubated with MP-CD46 acquired the CD46-associated function in complement regulation. We also explored the MP-mediated delivery of a dodecaspanin membrane glycoprotein, the CFTR to target CHO cells. CFTR functions as a chloride channel in human cells and is implicated in the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. Target CHO cells incubated with MPs produced by CHO cells constitutively expressing GFP-tagged CFTR (MP-GFP-CFTR) were found to gain a new cellular function, the chloride channel activity associated to CFTR. Time-course analysis of the appearance of GFP-CFTR in target cells suggested that MPs could achieve the delivery of CFTR to target cells via two mechanisms: the transfer of mature, membrane-inserted CFTR glycoprotein, and the transfer of CFTR-encoding mRNA. These results confirmed that cell-derived MPs represent a new class of promising therapeutic vehicles for the delivery of bioactive macromolecules, proteins or mRNAs, the latter exerting the desired therapeutic effect in target cells via de novo synthesis of their encoded proteins

我私法ヨリ觀タル賃金契約

<p>The aim was to investigate the effects of increased water or dairy intake on total intake of energy, nutrients, foods and dietary patterns in overweight adolescents in the Milk Components and Metabolic Syndrome (MoMS) study (<i>n</i>= 173). Participants were randomly assigned to consume 1l/d of skim milk, whey, casein or water for 12 weeks. A decrease in the dietary pattern called Convenience Food, identified by principal component analysis, was observed during the intervention both in the water and dairy groups. Total energy intake decreased by 990.9 kJ/d (236.8 kcal/d) in the water group but was unchanged in the dairy group during intervention. To conclude, an extra intake of fluid seems to favourably affect the rest of the diet by decreasing the intake of convenience foods, including sugar-sweetened beverages. A low energy drink, such as water, seems advantageous considering the total energy intake in these overweight adolescents. This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00785499).</p

Metabolic responses to high pCO2 conditions at a CO2 vent site in juveniles of a marine isopod species assemblage

We are starting to understand the relationship between metabolic rate responses and species' ability to respond to exposure to high pCO2. However, most of our knowledge has come from investigations of single species. The examination of metabolic responses of closely related species with differing distributions around natural elevated CO2 areas may be useful to inform our understanding of their adaptive significance. Furthermore, little is known about the physiological responses of marine invertebrate juveniles to high pCO2, despite the fact they are known to be sensitive to other stressors, often acting as bottlenecks for future species success. We conducted an in situ transplant experiment using juveniles of isopods found living inside and around a high pCO2 vent (Ischia, Italy): the CO2 'tolerant' Dynamene bifida and 'sensitive' Cymodoce truncata and Dynamene torelliae. This allowed us to test for any generality of the hypothesis that pCO2 sensitive marine invertebrates may be those that experience trade-offs between energy metabolism and cellular homoeostasis under high pCO2 conditions. Both sensitive species were able to maintain their energy metabolism under high pCO2 conditions, but in C. truncata this may occur at the expense of [carbonic anhydrase], confirming our hypothesis. By comparison, the tolerant D. bifida appeared metabolically well adapted to high pCO2, being able to upregulate ATP production without recourse to anaerobiosis. These isopods are important keystone species; however, given they differ in their metabolic responses to future pCO2, shifts in the structure of the marine ecosystems they inhabit may be expected under future ocean acidification conditions

Using viral vectors as gene transfer tools (Cell Biology and Toxicology Special Issue: ETCS-UK 1 day meeting on genetic manipulation of cells)

In recent years, the development of powerful viral gene transfer techniques has greatly facilitated the study of gene function. This review summarises some of the viral delivery systems routinely used to mediate gene transfer into cell lines, primary cell cultures and in whole animal models. The systems described were originally discussed at a 1-day European Tissue Culture Society (ETCS-UK) workshop that was held at University College London on 1st April 2009. Recombinant-deficient viral vectors (viruses that are no longer able to replicate) are used to transduce dividing and post-mitotic cells, and they have been optimised to mediate regulatable, powerful, long-term and cell-specific expression. Hence, viral systems have become very widely used, especially in the field of neurobiology. This review introduces the main categories of viral vectors, focusing on their initial development and highlighting modifications and improvements made since their introduction. In particular, the use of specific promoters to restrict expression, translational enhancers and regulatory elements to boost expression from a single virion and the development of regulatable systems is described