146 research outputs found
Optimization of the wavesax device: numerical modelling and ocean wave basin tests
The Wavesax device has been conceived to be installed in ports and harbours, in
the Mediterranean sea. Therefore, two aspects are quite important: flexibility of the device to
fit in different structural configurations and replication in a large number of units.
Preliminary numerical modelling of the fixed component of the device has been performed using
Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis (RANS-CFD model) and considering four regular wave
conditions typical of the Mediterranean sea.
Main issues to be considered in the first stage scale modelling analysis are the effective
functionality of the device conception (scale 1:20), the optimization of the design and position of
the device in terms of generated velocity gradients in the working section where the turbine blades
are installed. The main parameters to be investigated, both with numerical modelling and ocean wave
basin tests, are the pressure field in different sections of the device, water levels for
different wave conditions and device sinking.
Following the scale model test, the numerical model was calibrated and validated. The
paper presents the results of the numerical simulations related to different configurations of
the device, under typical Mediterranean wave climates
Enhancing the Sustainability of the Aviation Industry: Airlinesâ Commitment to âGreenâ Practices
The aviation industry represents an important polluter, being responsible for increasing
environmental impacts on global scale. Aiming to approach the adoption of suitable policies
in the aviation industry towards the achievement of the national and international
sustainability goals, the present research tackles airlinesâ commitment to aviation-related
environmental issues, as well as their willingness to adopt sustainable aviation fuel (i.e., bio
jet fuel) and sustainable development strategies, focusing on those companies operating
flights in the Karol WojtyĆa Airport (Bari, Italy). The paper adopts the Ï2 test and the logistic
regression to investigate three different hypotheses related to airlinesâ headquarters, carriersâ
typology (i.e., low-cost or not, flag carriers or not) and years of service. Results outline that
traditional airlines, either flag carriers or not, as well as South and North American
companies, are more likely to be aware of aviation environmental consequences, publishing
environmental reports and offering to passengers the chance to participate to climate change
reduction (e.g., through online carbon offset programs or more expensive ticket to produce
bio jet fuels). In addition, airlines transiting in Karol WojtyĆa Airport show a small
willingness to share information through environmental reports and are scarcely intentioned
to make use of bio jet fuels, confirming that low-cost companies are still less attentive
towards aviation environmental issues. The present research contributes to the empirical
studies on sustainable aviation and carriersâ commitment to environmental strategies,
highlighting the need to enhance carbon offsets programs and digital technologies as the
online compensation of CO2 emissions
How to manage and minimize food waste in the hotel industry? An exploratory research
Purpose â The hospitality industry is responsible for significant amounts of waste, more than one-third
of which is food waste. Through the comparison between an Italian and a Romanian hotel, this paper
aims to provide a better understanding of food waste management trends in the hotel industry as well
as to highlight hotel kitchens and hotel food services weaknesses and opportunities to minimize food
waste.
Design/methodology/approach â In-depth interviews, personal communication and observations were
conducted to investigate food service planning, food procurement and food waste management, as well
as to better comprehend current individualsâ understanding and attitudes, infrastructures, legislative
culture and opportunities either from the managerial and the employeesâ perspective. Data were
analyzed according to a content analysis approach.
Findings â Three critical hot spots emerged from the analysis: prediction and check of guestsâ
attendance, communication and transparency with local suppliers and among departments within the
unit and purchasing frequency and perishable food provisioning. The accurate forecasting of the number
of guests and their nationality is fundamental in avoiding food waste at food service, as well as
implementing transparency and communication with local suppliers.
Originality/value â Although academia and authorities have recognized the crucial importance of food
waste management, food waste research in the hotel industry remains under-researched. The present
exploratory research contributes to the scarce empirical studies about hotelsâ food waste, giving
theoretical and managerial recommendations for supporting further studies, highlighting the need for
formal deals between hotels and local suppliers (food procurement), as well as the importance of foodnetworks
that holds together companies, retailers and charities (food donation)
Methylglyoxal-dependent glycative stress and deregulation of SIRT1 functional network in the ovary of PCOS mice
Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are involved in the pathogenesis and consequences of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a complex metabolic disorder associated with female infertility. The most powerful AGE precursor is methylglyoxal (MG), a byproduct of glycolysis, that is detoxified by the glyoxalase system. By using a PCOS mouse model induced by administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), we investigated whether MG-dependent glycative stress contributes to ovarian PCOS phenotype and explored changes in the Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) functional network regulating mitochondrial functions and cell survival. In addition to anovulation and reduced oocyte quality, DHEA ovaries revealed altered collagen deposition, increased vascularization, lipid droplets accumulation and altered steroidogenesis. Here we observed increased intraovarian MG-AGE levels in association with enhanced expression of receptor for AGEs (RAGEs) and deregulation of the glyoxalase system, hallmarks of glycative stress. Moreover, DHEA mice exhibited enhanced ovarian expression of SIRT1 along with increased protein levels of SIRT3 and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), and decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1 alpha (PGC1 alpha), mitochondrial transcriptional factor A (mtTFA) and translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 20 (TOMM20). Finally, the presence of autophagy protein markers and increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) suggested the involvement of SIRT1/AMPK axis in autophagy activation. Overall, present findings demonstrate that MG-dependent glycative stress is involved in ovarian dysfunctions associated to PCOS and support the hypothesis of a SIRT1-dependent adaptive response
Altered inflammasome machinery as a key player in the perpetuation of Rett syndrome oxinflammation
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a progressive neurodevelopmental disorder mainly caused by mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene. RTT patients show multisystem disturbances associated with an oxinflammatory status. Inflammasomes are multi-protein complexes, responsible for host immune responses against pathogen infections and redox-related cellular stress. Assembly of NLRP3/ASC inflammasome triggers pro-caspase-1 activation, thus, resulting in IL-1ÎČ and IL-18 maturation. However, an aberrant activation of inflammasome system has been implicated in several human diseases. Our aim was to investigate the possible role of inflammasome in the chronic subclinical inflammatory condition typical of RTT, by analyzing this complex in basal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)+ATP-stimulated primary fibroblasts, as well as in serum from RTT patients and healthy volunteers. RTT cells showed increased levels of nuclear p65 and ASC proteins, pro-IL-1ÎČ mRNA, and NLRP3/ASC interaction in basal condition, without any further response upon the LPS + ATP stimuli. Moreover, augmented levels of circulating ASC and IL-18 proteins were found in serum of RTT patients, which are likely able to amplify the inflammatory response. Taken together, our findings suggest that RTT patients exhibited a challenged inflammasome machinery at cellular and systemic level, which may contribute to the subclinical inflammatory state feedback observed in this pathology
Mense e personale addetto alle cucine: valutazione dei rischi occupazionali
The aim of the study is to evaluate the occupational risks among food service workers and cooks. During the occupational risks assessment the following risk factors must be evaluated: musculoskeletal disorders, chemical risk (cleaning kitchen work surface, dishes, utensils ecc.) biological risk (contact with foods or biological agents) cancerogenic risk (by baking smoke inhalation), and psycho-social stress. In this study the preventive measures and protective equipment to prevent health hazards for these workers have been evaluated (i.e. aspiration hood, adapted ventilation, chosen of less harmful methods of baking, ecc.). In particular the performance of rigid behavioural norms and hygienic procedures is very important for cooks and food service workers to reduce the risk of occupational infections
PULEX: Influence of environment radiation background on biochemistry and biology of cultured cells and on their response to genotoxic agents
Some years ago we performed two experiments aimed at studying the influence of the background radiation on living matter by exploiting the low radiation background environment in the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory of the INFN. Their results were consistent with the hypothesis that the ânormalâ background radiation determines an adaptive response, although they cannot be considered conclusive. PULEX-3 (the third experiment of the series) is aimed at comparing the effects of different background radiation environments on metabolism of cultured mammalian cells, with substantial improvements with respect to the preceding ones. The experiment was designed to minimize variabilities, by maintaining two cultures of Chinese hamster V79 cells in exponential growth for up to ten months
in the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory (LNGS), while two other cultures were maintained in parallel in a biological laboratory installed at the LNGS outside the tunnel. Exposure due to Îł-rays was reduced by a factor of about 10 in the underground laboratory while the Rn concentration was small in both cases. After ten months the cells grown in the underground laboratory, compared to those grown in the external one, exhibited: i) a significantly lower capacity to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ii) an increased sensitivity to the mutagenic effect of rays. Since the probability that this finding is due to casual induction of radiosensitive mutants is extremely low, it corroborates the hypothesis that cells grown in a ânormalâ background radiation environment exhibit an adaptive response when challenged with genotoxic agents, which is lost after many generations in a low background radiation environment
FLAG assay as a novel method for real-time signal generation during PCR: application to detection and genotyping of KRAS codon 12 mutations
Real-time signal generation methods for detection and characterization of low-abundance mutations in genomic DNA are powerful tools for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Mutations in codon 12 of the oncogene KRAS, for example, are frequently found in several types of human cancers. We have developed a novel real-time PCR technology, FLAG (FLuorescent Amplicon Generation) and adapted it for simultaneously (i) amplifying mutated codon 12 KRAS sequences, (ii) monitoring in real-time the amplification and (iii) genotyping the exact nucleotide alteration. FLAG utilizes the exceptionally thermostable endonuclease PspGI for real-time signal generation by cleavage of quenched fluorophores from the 5âČ-end of the PCR products and, concurrently, for selecting KRAS mutations over wild type. By including peptide-nucleic-acid probes in the reaction, simultaneous genotyping is achieved that circumvents the requirement for sequencing. FLAG enables high-throughput, closed-tube KRAS mutation detection down to âŒ0.1% mutant-to-wild type. The assay was validated on model systems and compared with allele-specific PCR sequencing for screening 27 cancer specimens. Diverse applications of FLAG for real-time PCR or genotyping applications in cancer, virology or infectious diseases are envisioned
Endothelial cells from umbilical cord of women affected by gestational diabetes: A suitable in vitro model to study mechanisms of early vascular senescence in diabetes
Human umbilical cord endothelial cells (HUVECs) obtained from women affected by gestational diabetes (GD-HUVECs) display durable pro-atherogenic modifications and might be considered a valid in vitro model for studying chronic hyperglycemia effects on early endothelial senescence. Here, we demonstrated that GD- compared to C-HUVECs (controls) exhibited oxidative stress, altered both mitochondrial membrane potential and antioxidant response, significant increase of senescent cells characterized by a reduced NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) activity together with an increase in cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor-2A (P16), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor-1 (P21), and tumor protein p53 (P53) acetylation. This was associated with the p300 activation, and its silencing significantly reduced the GD-HUVECs increased protein levels of P300 and Ac-P53 thus indicating a persistent endothelial senescence via SIRT1/P300/P53/P21 pathway. Overall, our data suggest that GD-HUVECs can represent an âendothelial hyperglycemic memoryâ model to investigate in vitro the early endothelium senescence in cells chronically exposed to hyperglycemia in vivo
Simple, rapid and accurate molecular diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia by loop mediated amplification technology
The diagnostic work-up of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) includes the cytogenetic demonstration of the t(15;17) translocation and/or the PML-RARA chimeric transcript by RQ-PCR or RT-PCR. This latter assays provide suitable results in 3-6 hours. We describe here two new, rapid and specific assays that detect PML-RARA transcripts, based on the RT-QLAMP (Reverse Transcription-Quenching Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) technology in which RNA retrotranscription and cDNA amplification are carried out in a single tube with one enzyme at one temperature, in fluorescence and real time format. A single tube triplex assay detects bcr1 and bcr3 PML-RARA transcripts along with GUS housekeeping gene. A single tube duplex assay detects bcr2 and GUSB. In 73 APL cases, these assays detected in 16 minutes bcr1, bcr2 and bcr3 transcripts. All 81 non-APL samples were negative by RT-QLAMP for chimeric transcripts whereas GUSB was detectable. In 11 APL patients in which RT-PCR yielded equivocal breakpoint type results, RT-QLAMP assays unequivocally and accurately defined the breakpoint type (as confirmed by sequencing). Furthermore, RT-QLAMP could amplify two bcr2 transcripts with particularly extended PML exon 6 deletions not amplified by RQ-PCR. RT-QLAMP reproducible sensitivity is 10(-3) for bcr1 and bcr3 and 10(-)2 for bcr2 thus making this assay particularly attractive at diagnosis and leaving RQ-PCR for the molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease during the follow up. In conclusion, PML-RARA RT-QLAMP compared to RT-PCR or RQ-PCR is a valid improvement to perform rapid, simple and accurate molecular diagnosis of APL
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