Pyroclastic volcanic ash as a potential precursor of alkali-activated binders - A case study from Tajogaite (La Palma, Canary Islands) volcano eruption

The volcanic eruption of Tajogaite in La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) produced approximately 200 Mm3 of fine lapilli and ash. Using this volcanic ash (VA) to produce alkali-activated binders (AABs) fosters a sustainable approach to binder manufacturing, aligning with the principles of a circular economy and reducing reliance on non-renewable resources. The feasibility of using VA as a sole precursor for the formulation of sustainable AABs was evaluated based on its composition and physical-chemical properties. To this end, a comprehensive physicochemical characterization of VA was carried out and the physical, mechanical, and environmental properties of the binders formulated were analyzed. The physical-chemical analysis reveals the neoformation of typical secondary reaction products, such as NASH and (C,N)ASH gels. The microstructure analysis reveals that the AABs formulated using 6 M and 8 M NaOH activator solutions contain homogeneously dispersed unreacted VA particles within the binder matrix, providing increased cohesion and mechanical strength. The highest compressive resistance of AABs formulated using only VA as the precursor was achieved with a 6 M NaOH activator solution and a curing temperature of 60 ◦C, reaching a strength of 16 MPa. Although alkaline activation enhances the release of some metals and metalloids contained in the VA, the study of the environmental requirements at the end of the life cycle of the formulated AABs allows them to be classified as nonhazardous materials

Calcium Looping for Thermochemical Storage: Assessment of Intrinsic Reaction Rate and Estimate of Kinetic/Transport Parameters for Synthetic CaO/Mayenite Particles from TGA Data

Mayenite-supported CaO represents an affordable and safetycompliant candidate material for thermochemical storage processes. We here analyze the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) performance of synthetic CaO/mayenite micrometric powder under carbonatation/calcination looping and develop a model to interpret and analyze the experimental results. In the experimental campaign, calcination is run at 900 degrees C, while the carbonatation temperature is varied between 600 and 800 degrees C. For the carbonatation reaction, a generalized shrinking core model assuming a thermodynamically consistent first-order kinetic and a conversion-dependent diffusivity of CO2 inside the porous CaCO3 layer is validated through TGA carbonatation tests conducted with CO2/N-2 mixtures at different compositions. Interestingly, the kinetic constant of this reaction is found to be relatively insensitive to the temperature in the interval considered. In contrast, diffusion-limited regimes are never found for the calcination reaction so that this phase of the cycle can be predicted based on a single kinetic constant of the heterogeneous reaction. This constant is found to follow the typical Arrhenius-type dependence on temperature. Sizably different kinetic and transport parameters are obtained in the first carbonation performed on virgin CaO/mayenite particles with respect to those associated with subsequent cycles. When different parameters are afforded for the first and following cycles, the shrinking core model proposed closely predicts the TGA data over five CaO/CaCO3 cycles. The results found constitute an essential preliminary piece of information for designing equipment geometry and operating conditions of industrial-scale reactors. In this respect, knowledge of the parameters defining the intrinsic reaction rates and diffusive transport is essential in defining the optimal conversion of the material associated with minimal looping time

Recipe Optimization to Produce Functional Food Based on Meat and Fish

Functional foods were produced from the combination of minced meat or fish with extra virgin olive oil and vegetable flour. Proper concentrations of oil and vegetable flours were selected to improve the nutritional properties of processed meat and fish burgers. Sensory evaluations were also carried out in different sessions by trained panel and generic consumers to assess product acceptability. The results of the work demonstrated that the two ingredients, selected for their well-known healthy benefits, enhance not only the nutritional value but also the sensory properties of food. In particular, the best formulation for meat patties contained 10% oil and 10% red pepper flour, whereas, 15% oil and 5% yellow pepper flour and 17.5% oil and 7.5% zucchini flour were the optimized ingredients for fish burgers. These recipes did not score significantly different from other CCD options but were preferred by consumers, when asked to compare these new products to traditional burgers. Moreover, analytical investigations carried out before and after cooking assessed the preservation of the health-giving compounds deriving from the pepper flour

Regulation of caspase-3 processing by cIAP2 controls the switch between pro-inflammatory activation and cell death in microglia.

Cell Death and Disease is an open-access journal published by Nature Publishing Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons licence, users will need to obtain permission from the licence holder to reproduce the material.The activation of microglia, resident immune cells of the central nervous system, and inflammation-mediated neurotoxicity are typical features of neurodegenerative diseases, for example, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. An unexpected role of caspase-3, commonly known to have executioner role for apoptosis, was uncovered in the microglia activation process. A central question emerging from this finding is what prevents caspase-3 during the microglia activation from killing those cells? Caspase-3 activation occurs as a two-step process, where the zymogen is first cleaved by upstream caspases, such as caspase-8, to form intermediate, yet still active, p19/p12 complex; thereafter, autocatalytic processing generates the fully mature p17/p12 form of the enzyme. Here, we show that the induction of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2 (cIAP2) expression upon microglia activation prevents the conversion of caspase-3 p19 subunit to p17 subunit and is responsible for restraining caspase-3 in terms of activity and subcellular localization. We demonstrate that counteracting the repressive effect of cIAP2 on caspase-3 activation, using small interfering RNA targeting cIAP2 or a SMAC mimetic such as the BV6 compound, reduced the pro-inflammatory activation of microglia cells and promoted their death. We propose that the different caspase-3 functions in microglia, and potentially other cell types, reside in the active caspase-3 complexes formed. These results also could indicate cIAP2 as a possible therapeutic target to modulate microglia pro-inflammatory activation and associated neurotoxicity observed in neurodegenerative disorders

An introduction to Graph Data Management

A graph database is a database where the data structures for the schema and/or instances are modeled as a (labeled)(directed) graph or generalizations of it, and where querying is expressed by graph-oriented operations and type constructors. In this article we present the basic notions of graph databases, give an historical overview of its main development, and study the main current systems that implement them

Cooperation, Norms, and Revolutions: A Unified Game-Theoretical Approach

Cooperation is of utmost importance to society as a whole, but is often challenged by individual self-interests. While game theory has studied this problem extensively, there is little work on interactions within and across groups with different preferences or beliefs. Yet, people from different social or cultural backgrounds often meet and interact. This can yield conflict, since behavior that is considered cooperative by one population might be perceived as non-cooperative from the viewpoint of another. To understand the dynamics and outcome of the competitive interactions within and between groups, we study game-dynamical replicator equations for multiple populations with incompatible interests and different power (be this due to different population sizes, material resources, social capital, or other factors). These equations allow us to address various important questions: For example, can cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma be promoted, when two interacting groups have different preferences? Under what conditions can costly punishment, or other mechanisms, foster the evolution of norms? When does cooperation fail, leading to antagonistic behavior, conflict, or even revolutions? And what incentives are needed to reach peaceful agreements between groups with conflicting interests? Our detailed quantitative analysis reveals a large variety of interesting results, which are relevant for society, law and economics, and have implications for the evolution of language and culture as well