Lipid content of staphylococcus aureus.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Studies on the rheology of flour dough

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Food Technology, 1960.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-140).by Thoams Laurence Fazzina.Ph.D

Culture of human cell lines by a pathogen-inactivated human platelet lysate

Alternatives to the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) have been investigated to ensure xeno-free growth condition. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of human platelet lysate (PL) as a substitute of FBS for the in vitro culture of some human cell lines. PL was obtained by pools of pathogen inactivated human donor platelet (PLT) concentrates. Human leukemia cell lines (KG-1, K562, JURKAT, HL-60) and epithelial tumor cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7) were cultured with either FBS or PL. Changes in cell proliferation, viability, morphology, surface markers and cell cycle were evaluated for each cell line. Functional characteristics were analysed by drug sensitivity test and cytotoxicity assay. Our results demonstrated that PL can support growth and expansion of all cell lines, although the cells cultured in presence of PL experienced a less massive proliferation compared to those grown with FBS. We found a comparable percentage of viable specific marker-expressing cells in both conditions, confirming lineage fidelity in all cultures. Functionality assays showed that cells in both FBS- and PL-supported cultures maintained their normal responsiveness to adriamycin and NK cell-mediated lysis. Our findings indicate that PL is a feasible serum substitute for supporting growth and propagation of haematopoietic and epithelial cell lines with many advantages from a perspective of process standardization, ethicality and product safety

Dynamic expression of homeostatic ion channels in differentiated cortical astrocytes in vitro

The capacity of astrocytes to adapt their biochemical and functional features upon physiological and pathological stimuli is a fundamental property at the basis of their ability to regulate the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). It is well known that in primary cultured astrocytes, the expression of plasma membrane ion channels and transporters involved in homeostatic tasks does not closely reflect the pattern observed in vivo. The individuation of culture conditions that promote the expression of the ion channel array found in vivo is crucial when aiming at investigating the mechanisms underlying their dynamics upon various physiological and pathological stimuli. A chemically defined medium containing growth factors and hormones (G5) was previously shown to induce the growth, differentiation, and maturation of primary cultured astrocytes. Here we report that under these culture conditions, rat cortical astrocytes undergo robust morphological changes acquir- ing a multi-branched phenotype, which develops gradually during the 2-week period of culturing. The shape changes were paralleled by variations in passive membrane properties and background conductance owing to the differential temporal development of inwardly rectifying chloride (Cl−) and potassium (K+) currents. Confocal and immunoblot analyses showed that morphologically differentiated astrocytes displayed a large increase in the expression of the inward rectifier Cl− and K+ channels ClC-2 and Kir4.1, respectively, which are relevant ion channels in vivo. Finally, they exhibited a large diminution of the intermediate filaments glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin which are upregulated in reactive astrocytes in vivo. Taken together the data indicate that long-term culturing of cortical astrocytes in this chemical-defined medium promotes a quiescent functional phenotype. This culture model could aid to address the regulation of ion channel expression involved in CNS homeostasis in response to physiological and pathological challenge

Experimentation of a Web Database for Augmented Reality Apps. The case study of ruled geometries

The growing field of Augmented Reality Apps is an indication of greater interest, by private markets and public institutions, towards immersive visualization and those tools that can enhance cultural content through user involvement. An often underrated feature of this digitalization lies in the smart language with which the notions are shown, in quick synthesis based on schemes, slides, lists, images, and comparisons. But the continuous input of data in an app can cause various problems, both on the hardware and software front: from the obvious weight gain, not negligible for pocket devices, to the continuous updating of scientific knowledge, that risks leaving behind all those theoretical contents that are not controlled or renewed. To this is added the problem of the constant maintenance of mobile devices for what concerns software, operating systems, security protocols, and systems for decoding existing data, especially for AR Apps that use audio and video devices. With this in mind, and in order to optimize the performance of mobile tools, a digital archive in the form of an open-source site is useful, providing centralized and pre-cataloged data specifically for use in the AR App. In this way, qualified users can contribute to the knowledge presented through a client-server upload system on the site, properly filtered by semi-automatic security checks. The experimentation of the contribution investigates the advantages and possibilities of such a structured system, setting the case study on the theory of ruled geometries, and the architectures corresponding to them

Il Motel Agip di Mario Ridolfi. Dall’analisi grafica alla rappresentazione parametrica e immersiva

The research aims to describe the process of generation and growth of the architectural form of an unrealized project by Mario Ridolfi, the Agip Motel in Settebagni, through the aid of graphic analysis, geometric and parametric modeling and virtual reality . Versatile architect, with a vast production, well documented by the sources, of completed and unrealized projects, the latter little studied, especially from the point of view of geometry. The abundant presence of design documentation has made it possible to identify and reconstruct the geometric layout on which the motel tower is based: a decagonal matrix plan with star-shaped vertices, in a progression of floors defined by a cylindrical helix. This polycentric trend of the elevation is manifested in a torsion of the building, and in a continuous irregularity of the internal plans, which therefore requires the project a considerable commitment to adapt. Starting from the graphic reconstruction, a 3D model of the plan and a parametric script of the envelope were created, which controls the various functions of the torsion and the different perimeters. Finally, at the end of the restitution, it was decided to reproduce the discrete parametric model in an augmented reality system, with an interactive mechanism for scrolling through the planes of the model and effectively visualizing the evolution of the heights

Chapter Digi Skills Bsc – Revising Graphic Literacy in Bsc Architectural Design Education through a Software-Based Pedagogic Approach. A Shared Pilot Experience at the Politecnico di Milano

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

Cord blood-derived neuronal cells by ectopic expression of SOX2 and c-MYC

The finding that certain somatic cells can be directly converted into cells of other lineages by the delivery of specific sets of transcrip- tion factors paves the way to novel therapeutic applications. Here we show that human cord blood (CB) CD133+ cells lose their hematopoietic signature and are converted into CB-induced neu- ronal-like cells (CB-iNCs) by the ectopic expression of the transcrip- tion factor Sox2, a process that is further augmented by the combination of Sox2 and c-Myc. Gene-expression analysis, immu- nophenotyping, and electrophysiological analysis show that CB- iNCs acquire a distinct neuronal phenotype characterized by the expression of multiple neuronal markers. CB-iNCs show the ability to fire action potentials after in vitro maturation as well as after in vivo transplantation into the mouse hippocampus. This system highlights the potential of CB cells and offers an alternative means to the study of cellular plasticity, possibly in the context of drug screening research and of future cell-replacement therapies

IMPACT OF DIFFERENT DOSING STRATEGIES OF NIVOLUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH SOLID TUMORS: ITALIAN SINGLE CENTER ANALYSIS

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