Agroecology in the curricula of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the UNCUYO : contributions to the territorial planning

Fil: Studer, P. M.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Ingeniería AgrícolaFil: Viani, M. . Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Ingeniería AgrícolaFil: Filippini, María Flavia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícol

Synergistic effect of acetic acid and NOXfor objects made of lead and its alloys; Indoor corrosive environments in museums and depositories

Complex corrosion simulation to evaluate synergistic effect have to cover large number of factors. To do so, environmental and corrosion datasets collected by monitoring sites of interest have been used to tailor complex artificial ageing of lead and lead alloys, using lead, tin and tin-lead coupons. Material composition was based on objects of interest which are tin-lead alloy based although naming lead objects is used widespread for vast of them. To evaluate results corrosion rate based on weight loss, phase composition of corrosion product and colour change of the coupon surface were utilized. For thin corrosion layers formed micro Raman and FTIR did not provide suitable results, and GIXRD have been used. Although limited number of conditions were used for the simulations, synergistic effect was observed for lead under specific conditions. Synergistic effect do occur on lead when exposed to NOX and acetic acid fumes of relatively low concentrations (18 μg·m-3 and 500 ppb respectively). In addition, there is grouping of colourimetric data collected according to test regimes-phase composition of corrosion product respectively. This information albeit preliminary suggests that colourimetric spectroscopy may be suitable as fast and easy corrosion monitoring

Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/AKT pathway regulates the endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi traffic of ceramide in glioma cells : a link between lipid signaling pathways involved in the control of cell survival

Different lines of evidence indicate that both aberrant activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-OH kinase (PI3K)/Akt survival pathway and down-regulation of the death mediator ceramide play a critical role in the aggressive behavior, apoptosis resistance, and adverse clinical outcome of glioblastoma multiforme. Furthermore, the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway and the up-regulation of ceramide have been found functional to the activity of many cytotoxic treatments against glioma cell lines and glioblastomas as well. A reciprocal control between PI3K/Akt and ceramide signaling in glioma cell survival/death is suggested by data demonstrating a protective role of PI3K/Akt on ceramide-induced cell death in glial cells. In this study we investigated the role of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the regulation of the ceramide metabolism in C6 glioma cells, a cell line in which the PI3K/Akt pathway is constitutively activated. Metabolic experiments performed with different radioactive metabolic precursors of sphingolipids and microscopy studies with fluorescent ceramides demonstrated that the chemical inhibition of PI3K and the transfection with a dominant negative Akt strongly inhibited ceramide utilization for the biosynthesis of complex sphingolipids by controlling the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to Golgi vesicular transport of ceramide. These findings constitute the first evidence for a PI3K/Akt-dependent regulation of vesicle-mediated movements of ceramide in the ER-Golgi district. Moreover, the findings also suggest the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway as crucial to coordinate the biosynthesis of membrane complex sphingolipids with cell proliferation and growth and/or to maintain low ceramide levels, especially as concerns those treatments that promote ceramide biosynthesis in the ER

Understanding Link Dynamics in Wireless Sensor Networks with Dynamically Steerable Directional Antennas

Abstract. By radiating the power in the direction of choice, electronicallyswitched directional (ESD) antennas can reduce network contention and avoid packet loss. There exists some ESD antennas for wireless sensor networks, but so far researchers have mainly evaluated their directionality. There are no studies regarding the link dynamics of ESD antennas, in particular not for indoor deployments and other scenarios where nodes are not necessarily in line of sight. Our long-term experiments confirm that previous findings that have demonstrated the dependence of angleof-arrival on channel frequency also hold for directional transmissions with ESD antennas. This is important for the design of protocols for wireless sensor networks with ESD antennas: the best antenna direction, i.e., the direction that leads to the highest packet reception rate and signal strength at the receiver, is not stable but varies over time and with the selected IEEE 802.15.4 channel. As this requires protocols to incorporate some form of adaptation, we present an intentionally simple and yet efficient mechanism for selecting the best antenna direction at run-time with an energy overhead below 2 % compared to standard omni-directional transmissions.

Preliminary study of the pozzolanic activity of dumped mine wastes obtained from the North Bohemian basin in the Czech Republic

Three dumped raw materials, a tuff and two bentonites, obtained from two mining sites at the North Bohemian basin in the Czech Republic, have been studied in order to evaluate them as pozzolanic admixtures in lime mortars for employment in restoration of cultural heritage objects. After thermal activation (800 °C; 5 h), their pozzolanic properties were compared with those of commercial metakaolin. Quantitative phase analysis with the Rietveld method from X-ray powder diffraction patterns, morphological observations, as well as the Frattini and the modified Chapelle tests were performed. In addition, lime mortars, incorporating the fired materials, were prepared and subjected to simultaneous thermal analysis after a 28-day initial curing (20 ± 1 °C; 60 ± 5 % RH). The results showed that all three materials possess pozzolanic activity. However, when employed in lime mortars they did not result in formation of pozzolanic reaction products. Two methods were proposed to improve their reactivity; grinding to obtain finer particle size and removal of quartz content where necessary

Influence of linseed oil on the microstructure and composition of lime and lime-metakaolin pastes after a long curing time

This study investigates the effect of linseed oil on the microstructure of lime and lime-metakaolin pastes after 68 months of curing under controlled conditions. The hydrophobicity imparted by linseed oil to the pastes’ bulk was confirmed by measuring water drops’ contact angle. The results of thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that linseed oil significantly hindered the carbonation reaction in both lime and lime-metakaolin pastes and promoted the development of amorphous phases. The obtained results also indicated that linseed oil could foster the pozzolanic reaction in the lime-metakaolin system by stabilizing and/or promoting the development of hydration products resulting in reduced shrinkage in comparison with the reference

Monitoring Durability of Limestone Cement Paste Stored at Conditions Promoting Thaumasite Formation

The durability of Portland-limestone cement with high limestone content was monitored at conditions promoting thaumasite formation. Pore structure and deterioration characteristics were assessed with X-ray micro-computed tomography and correlated with material's strength. Changes in crystalline and amorphous phases of the cement paste were investigated with X-ray powder diffraction and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Rapid deterioration was observed, evolving as a front causing concentric crack patterns followed by detachment of the part of specimen in contact with the corrosive solution. This ultimately led to loss of structural integrity after 4 months of exposure. During sulfate attack, thaumasite, ettringite and gypsum formed at the expense of portlandite, calcite and monocarboaluminate hydrate. Furthermore, polymerization of silicate chains in C-S-H and deterioration of C-S-H also occurred

Design of a novel LOX-1 receptor antagonist mimicking the natural substrate

The lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), the major receptor for oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in endothelial cells, is overexpressed in atherosclerotic lesions. LOX-1 specific inhibitors, urgently necessary to reduce the rate of atherosclerotic and inflammation processes, are not yet available. We have designed and synthesized a new modified oxidized phospholipid, named PLAzPC, which plays to small scale the ligand-receptor recognition scheme. Molecular docking simulations confirm that PLAzPC disables the hydrophobic component of the ox-LDL recognition domain and allows the interaction of the l-lysine backbone charged groups with the solvent and with the charged/polar residues located around the edges of the LOX-1 hydrophobic tunnel. Binding assays, in a cell model system expressing human LOX-1 receptors, confirm that PLAzPC markedly inhibits ox-LDL binding to LOX-1 with higher efficacy compared to previously identified inhibitors

A single case report of granular cell tumor of the tongue successfully treated through 445 nm diode laser

Oral granular cell tumor (GCT) is a relatively rare, benign lesion that can easily be misdiagnosed. Particularly, the presence of pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia might, in some cases, lead to the hypothesis of squamous cell carcinoma. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Recurrence has been reported in up to 15% of cases treated with conventional surgery. Here, we reported a case of GCT of the tongue in a young female patient, which was successfully treated through 445 nm diode laser excision. Laser surgery might reduce bleeding and postoperative pain and may be associated with more rapid healing. Particularly, the vaporization effect on remnant tissues could eliminate GCT cells on the surgical bed, thus hypothetically leading to a lower rate of recurrence. In the present case, complete healing occurred in 1 week, and no recurrence was observed after 6 months. Laser surgery also allows the possibility to obtain second intention healing. Possible laser-induced histopathological artifacts should be carefully considered