Structural and biomechanical alterations in rabbit thoracic aortas are associated with the progression of atherosclerosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Atherosclerosis is a diffuse and highly variable disease of arteries that alters the mechanical properties of the vessel wall through highly variable changes in its cellular composition and histological structure. We have analyzed the effects of acute atherosclerotic changes on the mechanical properties of the descending thoracic aorta of rabbits fed a 4% cholesterol diet.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two groups of eight male New Zealand White rabbits were randomly selected and fed for 8 weeks either an atherogenic diet (4% cholesterol plus regular rabbit chow), or regular chow. Animals were sacrificed after 8 weeks, and the descending thoracic aortas were excised for pressure-diameter tests and histological evaluation to examine the relationship between aortic elastic properties and atherosclerotic lesions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All rabbits fed the high-cholesterol diet developed either intermediate or advanced atherosclerotic lesions, particularly American Heart Association-type III and IV, which were fatty and contained abundant lipid-filled foam cells (RAM 11-positive cells) and fewer SMCs with solid-like actin staining (HHF-35-positive cells). In contrast, rabbits fed a normal diet had no visible atherosclerotic changes. The atherosclerotic lesions correlated with a statistically significant decrease in mean vessel wall stiffness in the cholesterol-fed rabbits (51.52 ± 8.76 kPa) compared to the control animals (68.98 ± 11.98 kPa), especially in rabbits with more progressive disease.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Notably, stiffness appears to decrease with the progression of atherosclerosis after the 8-week period.</p

Visible-Light Active Sulfur-Doped Titania Nanoparticles Immobilized on a Silica Matrix: Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Degradation of Pollutants

The photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of pollutants using TiO(2)-based materials can significantly improve indoor air quality (IAQ), which in turn, has a significant impact on human health and life expectancy. TiO(2)-based nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used as part of building materials to function as photocatalysts in PCO. In this work, a series of sulfur-doped TiO(2) NPs immobilized on a silica matrix were synthesized by combining a sol-gel process with ball milling. The samples were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and N(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms. Furthermore, the morphological characteristics were determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic activity of the as prepared S-doped TiO(2)/SiO(2) NPs in the degradation of liquid and air pollutants under visible-light irradiation was investigated. Our results show that sulfur is an effective dopant for activating TiO(2)/SiO(2) photocatalysts under visible-light irradiation. Silica constitutes a “safe-by-design” approach and inhibits the aggregation of NPs during synthesis. The most efficient photocatalyst afforded 79% removal of methyl orange (5 h), 26% removal of acetaldehyde (1 h) and 12% oxidation of NO (1 h)

Μελέη επένδυσης σε"Boutique" ξενοδοχεία στα Χανιά Κρήτης

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Διοίκηση Επιχειρήσεων (ΜΒΑ)

Industrial architecture and industrial heritage in connection with the historical railway line Katakolo-Ancient Olympia

Περίληψη: Η παρούσα ερευνητική εργασία αφορά την βιομηχανική κληρονομιά του νομού Ηλείας, συγκεκριμένα κατά μήκος της σιδηροδρομικής γραμμής από το λιμάνι στο Κατάκολο έως την Αρχαία Ολυμπία. Εξετάζει αυτόν τον κλάδο γιατί αποτελεί πολύ παλαιό τμήμα του δικτύου, αποτέλεσε σημαντικό μοχλό επιρροής στην οικονομία της περιοχής και σήμερα είναι σημαντικός για τον τουρισμό. Η ανάπτυξη του σιδηροδρομικού κλάδου Κ-Π-Ο (Κατάκολο-Πύργος-Ολυμπία) επηρέασε, τόσο την οικονομία της περιοχής, όσο και την δημιουργία αρκετών κτιρίων αποθήκευσης, τυποποίησης, επεξεργασίας και μεταποίησης προϊόντων. Στα κτίρια αυτά, βιομηχανικά, βιοτεχνικά, οικοτεχνίας, εστιάζει η έρευνα της παρούσας εργασίας.Presented on

Expansion of the School of Architecture in Kounoupidiana, Chania

Περίληψη: Η παρούσα διπλωματική πραγματεύεται την επέκταση των κτιριακών εγκαταστάσεων της αρχιτεκτονικής Σχολής στα Κουνουπιδιανά Χανίων. Η λύση προτείνει σχεδιαστήρια 560 τ.μ., γραφεία διδασκόντων 120 τ.μ., αίθουσες διδασκαλίας 380 τ.μ., αμφιθέατρο 260 θέσεων, ανοικτό χώρο διδασκαλίας 180 τ.μ., γραμματεία 190 τ.μ. και αναψυκτήριο. Η πρόταση αναπτύσσεται σε 4 κτίρια τα οποία διατάσσονται κατάλληλα ώστε να εντάσσονται στο κτιριακό σύνολο του πολυτεχνείου, να συνομιλούν με τα υφιστάμενα απέναντι κτίρια, να οριοθετούν το κτιριακό σύνολο προς τα ανατολικά με τον δρόμο και την ύπαιθρο, δημιουργώντας εσωτερική πορεία προσπέλασης, υπαίθριο κοινωνικό χώρο, ανοικτό στεγασμένο χώρο διδασκαλίας, ζώνες σκιάς και ηλιασμού όλες τις εποχές και τις ώρες λειτουργίας του κτιριακού συγκροτήματος. Ο στόχος είναι η προσθήκη στη Σχολή Αρχιτεκτόνων κυττάρων μάθησης και δημιουργίας, επικοινωνίας και ανοικτής-ελεύθερης ανταλλαγής ιδεών, με σχεδιασμό κτιρίων ανοικτών προς το περιβάλλον. Η πρόταση προσφέρεται και για μελλοντική κατασκευή δομών ενοποίησης των νέων κτιρίων με τα υφιστάμενα

Evaluation of Olive Varieties Resistance for Sustainable Management of Verticillium Wilt

Verticillium wilt resulting from infection by Verticillium dahliae is one of the most devastating soilborne fungi of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) worldwide. The pathogen infects a wide variety of plants and can survive in the soil for many years, and chemicals cannot control it. Therefore, sustainable disease management strategies are suggested, with the exploitation of host resistance as the most predominant control measure in practice. In addition, disease risk assessment in commonly used plant genotypes is a prominent issue. In this respect, nine commercially grown Greek olive varieties (‘Amfissis’, ‘Atsiholou’, ‘Chalkidikis’, ‘Koroneiki’, ‘Kothreiki’, ‘Koutsourelia’, ‘Mastoidis’, ‘Megaritiki’, and ‘Tragolia’) and one variety of international interest (‘Picual’) were comparatively evaluated for their resistance to V. dahliae. The roots of young plants were immersed in a concentrated conidial suspension in order to perform an artificial inoculation. We evaluated disease reactions in a 140-day assessment period based on external symptoms (disease severity, disease incidence, and mortality) and calculated the relative areas under disease progress curves (relative AUDPC). The process of qPCR was used to evaluate V. dahliae DNA in vascular tissues and plant growth parameters (height and fresh weight). A cumulative stress response was calculated to consider the overall effect of V. dahliae on olive cultivars. The olive varieties resistance to V. dahliae varied significantly, with ‘Koroneiki’, ‘Tragolia’, and ‘Atsiholou’ being the most resistant. Interestingly, most tested varieties showed a significantly low resistance level, suggesting increased risk for the Greek olive industry due to V. dahliae.</i