Energy Improvement in the Building Sector: An Economic Analysis Relating to the Most Common Italian Masonry

The construction sector is a major contributor to total energy consumption, therefore, it is crucial to adopt energy efficiency strategies capable of reducing energy impact in buildings. Among these strategies, exterior wall insulation is one of the most cost-effective options to achieve energy savings for both newly constructed and renovated buildings. In this paper, based on an economic analysis, we aim to determine the economically optimal thickness of insulation material to be used for retrofit interventions of masonry structures. The study analyzes 10 different insulating materials and 5 masonry structures widespread in Italy. The results show that each masonry structure requires a careful evaluation of the thickness of the insulating material to be applied in retrofit operations. Moreover, varying the type of insulating material used, even if applied to the same wall structure, there are different levels of thickness to be applied in order to optimize the performance of the structure

Explant-derived human dental pulp stem cells enhance differentiation and proliferation potentials

Numerous stem cell niches are present in the different tissues and organs of the adult human body. Among these tissues, dental pulp, entrapped within the 'sealed niche' of the pulp chamber, is an extremely rich site for collecting stem cells. In this study, we demonstrate that the isolation of human dental pulp stem cells by the explants culture method (hD-DPSCs) allows the recovery of a population of dental mesenchymal stem cells that exhibit an elevated proliferation potential. Moreover, we highlight that hD-DPSCs are not only capable of differentiating into osteoblasts and chondrocytes but are also able to switch their genetic programme when co-cultured with murine myoblasts. High levels of MyoD expression were detected, indicating that muscle-specific genes in dental pulp cells can be turned on through myogenic fusion, confirming thus their multipotency. A perivascular niche may be the potential source of hD-DPSCs, as suggested by the consistent Ca(2+) release from these cells in response to endothelin-1 (ET-1) treatment, which is also able to significantly increase cell proliferation. Moreover, response to ET-1 has been found to be superior in hD-DPSCs than in DPSCs, probably due to the isolation method that promotes release of stem/progenitor cells from perivascular structures. The ability to isolate, expand and direct the differentiation of hD-DPSCs into several lineages, mainly towards myogenesis, offers an opportunity for the study of events associated with cell commitment and differentiation. Therefore, hD-DPSCs display enhanced differentiation abilities when compared to DPSCs, and this might be of relevance for their use in therapy

Disulfide relays and phosphorylative cascades: Partners in redox-mediated signaling pathways

Modifications of specific amino-acid residues of proteins are fundamental in order to modulate different signaling processes among which the cascade of phosphorylation represents the most effective example. Recently, also, the modification of the redox state of cysteine residues of certain proteins, which is a widespread mechanism in the regulation of protein function, has been proposed to be involved in signaling pathways. Growing evidence shows that some transcription factors could be modulated by both oxidation and phosphorylation. In particular, the pathways regulated by the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases represent well-established examples of the cross talk between redox-mediated signaling and phosphorylative cascades. This review will compare the two modes of signal transduction and propose an evolutionary model of a partnership of the two mechanisms in the eukaryotic cell, with redox-mediated signals being more specific and ancestral and phosphorylative signals being more diffuse but predominant in signal propagation. © 2005 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved

High-resolution bolometers for rare events detection

Since many years the Milano Gran Sasso collaboration is developing large mass calorimeters for Double Beta Decay and Dark Matter searches, employing TeO2 crystals as absorber elements. Recently, we have focused our attention on the improvement of the detector resolution: an efficient dumping suspension and the implementation of a new cold electronics device, have strongly suppressed the main sources of noise. The increase in SIN ratio has been of almost an order of magnitude and the resolution achieved is competitive with that of Ge diodes for gamma -rays detection, while a FWHM of 3.2 +/-0.3 keV has been obtained for 5.4 MeV alpha particles, the best result with any kind of detector. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve

The CUORE cryostat: an infrastructure for rare event searches at millikelvin temperatures

The CUORE experiment is the world's largest bolometric experiment. The detector consists of an array of 988 TeO2 crystals, for a total mass of 742 kg. CUORE is presently taking data at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te. A large custom cryogen-free cryostat allows reaching and maintaining a base temperature of about 10 mK, required for the optimal operation of the detector. This apparatus has been designed in order to achieve a low noise environment, with minimal contribution to the radioactive background for the experiment. In this paper, we present an overview of the CUORE cryostat, together with a description of all its sub-systems, focusing on the solutions identified to satisfy the stringent requirements. We briefly illustrate the various phases of the cryostat commissioning and highlight the relevant steps and milestones achieved each time. Finally, we describe the successful cooldown of CUORE

Conservation of local electric fields in the evolution of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase

AbstractThe trend of the electric field and the value of the electric field flux, sensed by the superoxide substrate in the proximity of the active site, were found to be constant in three highly homologous Cu,Zn superoxide dismutases from ox, pig and sheep, which display large differences in net protein charge and distribution of electrically charged surface residues but very similar catalytic rate constants. The spatial relationship of charges on the protein surface apparently has been conserved during the evolution of this enzyme to create electrostatic facilitation of catalysis

Non-oxidative loss of glutathione in apoptosis via GSH extrusion

Reduced glutathione (GSH) has been hypothesized to play a role in the rescue of cells from apoptosis, by buffering an endogenously induced oxidative stress. We correlated GSH levels and apoptosis in U937 human monocytic cells induced to apoptosis by different agents. All treatments led to depletion of GSH concomitant with the onset of apoptosis. The loss was due to extrusion of GSH outside the cell, while GSSG was not accumulated in the apoptosing cells, nor was it found in the extracellular medium. Modulation of intracellular GSH level did not influence the overall extent of apoptosis. We conclude that glutathione loss in apoptosis is not necessarily preceded by an oxidative stress, and that GSH depletion alone is not sufficient to lead cells to apoptosis