Electron-phonon interaction in the solid form of the smallest fullerene C20_{20}

The electron-phonon coupling of a theoretically devised carbon phase made by assembling the smallest fullerenes C$_{20}$ is calculated from first principles. The structure consists of C$_{20}$ cages in an {\it fcc} lattice interlinked by two bridging carbon atoms in the interstitial tetrahedral sites ({\it fcc}-C$_{22}$). The crystal is insulating but can be made metallic by doping with interstitial alkali atoms. In the compound NaC$_{22}$ the calculated coupling constant $\lambda/N(0)$ is 0.28 eV, a value much larger than in C$_{60}$, as expected from the larger curvature of C$_{20}$. On the basis of the McMillan's formula, the calculated $\lambda$=1.12 and a $\mu^*$ assumed in the range 0.3-0.1 a superconducting T$_c$ in the range 15-55 K is predicted.Comment: 7 page

Chemical control of guava rust (Puccinia psidii) in the Northern Region of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

Fungicides were evaluated under field conditions for their efficacy in the control of guava rust (Puccinia psidii); five systemic fungicides (azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, cyproconazole, tebuconazole, triadimenol) and the protectant mancozeb. In a first trial, the fungicides were applied at two-week intervals intercalated with bi-weekly sprays of copper oxychloride. The initial incidence of rust on flower buds before treatment was 47%. Triadimenol and azoxystrobin were most effective in reducing the incidence of rust on fruit. The minimum rust incidence achieved with triadimenol was 12% compared to 84% in the control treatment (water). The initial level of rust on flower buds was particularly high for the tebuconazole treatment, which may have contributed to the ineffective control by this fungicide in the first trial. In the second trial, copper oxychloride sprays were applied when disease incidence on flower buds was low (7%). Azoxystrobin, tebuconazole, triadimenol and mancozeb treatments were started nine days after a second application of copper oxychloride. The fungicides were then applied at bi-weekly intervals and at the same concentrations as in the first trial. Triadimenol was again most effective in controlling rust, although its effect did not greatly differ from that of tebuconazole. The maximum disease incidence in all fungicide treatments was significantly lower than that observed in the control treatment

Levulinic acid production from the green macroalgae chaetomorpha linum and valonia aegagropila harvested in the orbetello lagoon

In recent years, the replacement of fossil resources with renewable ones has received great interest, especially as regards the production of new valuable bio-products and bio-fuels, in order to replace the traditional petroleum-based ones. In this context, the exploitation of waste biomasses into added-value biochemicals is strongly encouraged. Among these ones, the algae ones are attracting considerable attention, in particular macroalgae which cause eutrophication problems in estuaries and lagoons, due to the drastic reduction of dissolved oxygen during their decomposition. This is true for Orbetello lagoon (Italy), where a large amount of algal biomasses is removed every year through an expensive practice, with consequent environmentally serious disposal problems. In this work, for the first time, the acid-catalyzed conversion of two different macroalgae harvested in Orbetello lagoon, Chaetomorpha linum (Muller) Kutzing and Valonia aegagropila C. Agardh, into levulinic acid was studied and optimized, adopting a one-pot hydrothermal treatment, under microwave heating and in the presence of aqueous diluted mineral acids, H2SO4 and HCl. Levulinic acid is a versatile platform chemical, classified by the United States Department of Energy as one of the top-12 promising bio-based building blocks. The effect of the main reaction parameters to give levulinic acid was investigated and discussed, in particular the type and concentration of the acid catalyst, the temperature and the reaction time. The highest levulinic acid yields of 19 wt% for Chaetomorpha linum and 16 wt% for Valonia aegagropila, calculated respect to the weight of the starting dried biomass, were reached. The achieved results are very promising and confirm the significant potential of these green algae as renewable starting feedstocks for levulinic acid production

label free discrimination of cells undergoing apoptosis by hyperspectral confocual reflectance imaging

Among the optical techniques used for exploring the properties of cells and tissues, those based on hyperspectral label-free analysis are particularly interesting due to their non-invasive character and their ability to fast collect a huge number of information on the different sample constituents and their spatial distribution. Here we present results obtained with a novel hyperspectral reflectance confocal microscope of label-free discrimination of cells undergoing apoptosis. Our data, analyzed by means of a powerful statistical method, enable to obtain information on the biological status at a single cell level through the local measurement of reflectivity. Furthermore, an optical model of the local dielectric response gives an additional insight of the parameters linking the optical responsivity to the biological status

Bcl-2 protein: a prognostic factor inversely correlated to p53 in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prognosis is strictly related to well-established clinicopathological parameters which have unfortunately become insufficient in the prognostic evaluation of this type of cancer. As p53 and bcl-2 gene deregulations are frequently involved in several types of epithelial malignancies, we investigated the Bcl-2 and p53 protein expression in 91 and 101 cases of NSCLC respectively. The expression was then compared with established indicators of prognosis and biological behaviour of the tumours. No relationship was observed between Bcl-2 and either clinicopathological or biological parameters such as histology, grading, tumour status, nodal metastasis and proliferative activity evaluated by scoring proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression and Ki-67 immunoreactivity. However, the mean Bcl-2 expression was significantly lower in patients who developed metastasis during follow-up or died of metastatic disease (P = 0.006 and P = 0.01 respectively). Moreover, survival probability was higher in patients who expressed the Bcl-2 protein (P = 0.0002). In contrast with this, p53 protein accumulation was observed in tumours with metastatic nodal involvement (P = 0.02) or in patients who developed metastasis during follow-up (P = 0.01), although no correlation was found between p53 expression and overall survival. An inverse relationship was also found between Bcl-2 and the anti-oncogene protein product p53 (P = 0.01). Thus, a high proportion of NSCLCs express p53 and Bcl-2 proteins and their expression may have prognostic importance

Tumour necrosis factor- α and transforming growth factor- β are significantly associated with better prognosis in non-small cell lung carcinoma: putative relation with BCL -2-mediated neovascularization

Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated a wide spectrum of biologic activities of cytokines in the pathogenesis and progression of malignancy. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) have emerged as two of the many host-derived mediators that seem to interfere with both antiproliferative and tumorigenic effects in malignant tumours including lung cancer. However, their association with tumour prognosis or prognostic factors has not yet been completely clarified. In this study, we assessed TNF-α and TGF-β mRNA expression by RT-PCR technique in 61 NSCLC samples, demonstrating the presence of TNF-α and TGF-β mRNA in 55.74% and 45.9% of cases, respectively. We also evaluated the expression of the two distinct transmembrane TNF receptors. TNFR-I and TNFR-II, with a PCR-positive signal in 70.49% and 65.57% of cases, respectively. In 49 of the 61 cases, we evaluated the prognostic impact of the two growth-inhibiting factors using the Kaplan–Meier analysis. In the univariate analysis patients without nodal metastatic involvement (P = 0.02), less advanced tumour stage (P = 0.02) or TNF-α and TGF-β positive cancers (P = 0.01 and P = 0.03) showed a favourable prognosis in terms of overall survival. Since our previous studies demonstrated a significant association between NSCLC behaviour, neoangiogenesis and bcl -2 expression, we investigated the putative relation between TNF-α and TGF-β on the one hand, and vascular count (as a measure of tumour angiogenesis) and bcl -2 protein expression, on the other hand. Our results showed a significant direct association between TNF-α and bcl -2 (P = 0.05) and an inverse association between TNF-α and microvessel count (P = 0.03). Moreover, as previously demonstrated, we observed a significant inverse correlation between bcl -2 protein expression and vascular count (P = 0.05), suggesting that the favourable effect of TNF-α on clinical outcome may be related to a bcl -2-mediated low neovascular development. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Accuracy of an eight-point tactile-electrode impedance method in the assessment of total body water.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the accuracy of an eight-polar tactile-electrode impedance method in the assessment of total body water (TBW). DESIGN: Transversal study. SETTING: University department. SUBJECTS: Fifty healthy subjects (25 men and 25 women) with a mean (s.d.) age of 40 (12) y. METHODS: TBW measured by deuterium oxide dilution; resistance (R) of arms, trunk and legs measured at frequencies of 5, 50, 250 and 500 kHz with an eight-polar tactile-electrode impedance-meter (InBody 3.0, Biospace, Seoul, Korea). RESULTS: An algorithm for the prediction of TBW from the whole-body resistance index at 500 kHz (height (2)/R(500) where R is the sum of the segmental resistances of arms, trunk and legs) was developed in a randomly chosen subsample of 35 subjects. This algorithm had an adjusted coefficient of determination (r2(adj)) of 0.81 (P<0.0001) and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.6 l (9%). Cross-validation of the predictive algorithm in the remaining 15 subjects gave an r2(adj) of 0.87 (P<0.0001) and an RMSE of 3.0 l (8%). The precision of eight-polar BIA, determined by measuring R three times a day for five consecutive days in a fasting subject, was < or =2.8% for all segments and frequencies. CONCLUSION: Eight-polar BIA is a precise method that offers accurate estimates of TBW in healthy subjects. This promising method should undergo further studies of precision and its accuracy in assessing extracellular water and appendicular body composition should be determined. SPONSORSHIP: Modena and Reggio Emilia University

Multi-proxy analysis suggests Late Pleistocene affinities of human skeletal remains attributed to Balzi Rossi

In two publications from 1967 and 1971, M. Masali described human skeletal remains presumed to have been found in the Balzi Rossi caves (Ventimiglia, Italy), based on a signed note dated to 1908. Since then, the remains - dubbed "Conio's Finds" and preserved at the University of Torino - had not been further studied. We performed a multidisciplinary investigation aimed at clarifying the geographical and chronological attribution of these specimens. Collagen extraction for AMS dating was unsuccessful, but we obtained two direct dates on the best- preserved crania via 231Pa/235U direct gamma-ray spectrometry (10,500±2,000 years BP and 12,500±2,500 years BP). We analyzed the metrics and morphology of the crania and femora by comparing them with samples belonging to the Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods, and evidenced that the "Conio's Finds" are morphologically more compatible with a Late Pleistocene rather than Holocene attribution. We analyzed the literature regarding the history of excavations at Balzi Rossi, and we propose that - if any credence should be given to the note accompanying the material - the remains may have been found in front of Grotta dei Fanciulli or Grotta del Caviglione, in the redeposited soil dug up during the installation of lime kilns carried out between the late 18th and the early 19th centuries. These hypotheses may be tested in the future by comparing the speleothem deposited on one of the crania and the remaining deposit at the site

Geomorphological processes, forms and features in the surroundings of the Melka Kunture Palaeolithic site, Ethiopia

The landscape of the surroundings of the Melka Kunture prehistoric site, Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia, were studied intensively in the last decades. Nonetheless, the area was mainly characterized under a stratigraphic/geological and archaeological point of view. However, a detailed geomorphological map is still lacking. Hence, in this study, we identify, map and visualize geomorphological forms and processes. The morphology of the forms, as well as the related processes, were remotely sensed with available high-resolution airborne and satellite sources and calibrated and validated through extensive field work conducted in 2013 and 2014. Furthermore, we integrated multispectral satellite imagery to classify areas affected by intensive erosion processes and/or anthropic activities. The Main Map at 1:15,000 scale reveals structural landforms as well as intensive water-related degradation processes in the Upper Awash Basin. Moreover, the map is available as an interactive WebGIS application providing further information and detail (www.roceeh.net/ethiopia_geomorphological_map/)