Technique for in-place welding of aluminum backed up by a combustible material

Welding external aluminum jacket, tightly wrapped around inner layer of wood composition fiberboard, in oxygen free environment prevents combustion and subsequent damage to underlying fiberboard. Technique also applies to metal cutting in similar assemblies without disassembly to remove combustible materials from welding heat proximity

Technique for anchoring fasteners to honeycomb panels

Two-piece fastener bushing provides mounting surface for components on a three-inch thick honeycomb structure. Specially constructed starter drill and sheet metal drill permit drilling without misalignment. Tapered knife-edge cutting tool removes honeycomb core material without tearing the adjacent material

Phenotypic and Gene Expression Profiles of Embryo Development of the Ascidian Ciona robusta Exposed to Dispersants

Within EU approval policies, most dispersant ecotoxicity testing considers lethal concentrations for marine adult species, overlooking the embryotoxicological effects. Here we studied the ecotoxicity of two commercial dispersant formulations (dispersant A and B) on the embryogenesis of the ascidian Ciona robusta. Embryotoxicity and phenotypic alterations stated that dispersant B resulted more toxic than A (EC50 value of 44.30 and 160 µg mL−1, respectively) and induced severe larvae malformations at lower concentrations. Furthermore, the analysis of genes involved in different cellular response pathways indicated that those belonging to biotransformation were upregulated by dispersant A treatment, likely related to the presence of hydrocarbons. Instead, dispersant B induced cas8 gene downregulation, probably as a result of the prolonged exposure to mixture components. Our preliminary findings support the use of the C. robusta embryotoxicity test as a valuable tool for dispersant approval procedures, by providing sub-lethal responses on marine invertebrates closely related to vertebrates

Fructose removal from the diet reverses inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress in hippocampus

Young age is often characterized by high consumption of processed foods and fruit juices rich in fructose, which, besides inducing a tendency to become overweight, can promote alterations in brain function. The aim of this study was therefore to (a) clarify brain effects resulting from fructose consumption in juvenile age, a critical phase for brain development, and (b) verify whether these alterations can be rescued after removing fructose from the diet. Young rats were fed a fructose-rich or control diet for 3 weeks. Fructose-fed rats were then fed a control diet for a further 3 weeks. We evaluated mitochondrial bioenergetics by high-resolution respirometry in the hippocampus, a brain area that is critically involved in learning and memory. Glucose transporter-5, fructose and uric acid levels, oxidative status, and inflammatory and synaptic markers were investigated by Western blotting and spectrophotometric or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. A short-term fructose-rich diet induced mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, associated with an increased concentration of inflammatory markers and decreased Neurofilament-M and post-synaptic density protein 95. These alterations, except for increases in haptoglobin and nitrotyrosine, were recovered by returning to a control diet. Overall, our results point to the dangerous effects of excessive consumption of fructose in young age but also highlight the effect of partial recovery by switching back to a control diet

Comparison of antimicrobial and wound-healing effects of silver nanoparticle and chlorhexidine mouthwashes: an in vivo study in rabbits

The objective is to formulate a silver nanoparticle mouthwash and then evaluate its antimicrobial and wound-healing effects in rabbit animal models. Microbial samples were collected from the oral cavity of 60 rabbits. Thereafter, standardized wounds were created in the lateral border of the tongue on the right side for all rabbits. After surgery, digital photographs were obtained from the wounds with standardized settings. To characterize the silver nanoparticles used in the synthetic mouthwash, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and digital light scattering analysis were used. The animal models were then randomly divided into 4 groups: group 1 received 9.80 wt% silver nanoparticle mouthwash; group 2 received all the ingredients of the formulated mouthwash except for silver nanoparticles; group 3 received chlorhexidine 2.0% mouthwash; and the negative control group did not receive any postoperative mouthwash. Microbial samples were collected from oral cavity of the rabbits each day for four postoperative days. Colony-forming unit (CFU) counts were compared post-operatively with the pre-operative counts. In addition, standardized digital photographs were taken each day from the wounds and the area of the wounds was compared in postoperative and pre-operative images. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and repeated measures variance analysis (α = 0.05). TEM revealed spherical morphology of silver nanoparticles and digital light scattering showed an average size of 5 nm and optimal distribution of the nanoparticles. CFU count significantly decreased in groups 1 and 3 (P 0.05). Silver nanoparticle mouthwash possesses favorable antibacterial and wound-healing effects. The formulated 9.80 wt% silver nanoparticle mouthwash with a particle size of 5 nm can be a promising alternative for application after oral surgical procedures

Retrieval and classification methods for textured 3D models: a comparative study

International audienceThis paper presents a comparative study of six methods for the retrieval and classification of tex-tured 3D models, which have been selected as representative of the state of the art. To better analyse and control how methods deal with specific classes of geometric and texture deformations, we built a collection of 572 synthetic textured mesh models, in which each class includes multiple texture and geometric modifications of a small set of null models. Results show a challenging, yet lively, scenario and also reveal interesting insights in how to deal with texture information according to different approaches, possibly working in the CIELab as well as in modifications of the RGB colour space

Cover crop for a sustainable viticulture: Effects on soil properties and table grape production

Cover crops are increasingly adopted in viticulture to enhance soil quality and balance the vegetative and reproductive growth of vines. Nevertheless, this sustainable practice has been only recently used for table grape viticulture, with results often contrasting. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cover crop on soil quality, yield, and grape qualitative parameters in a table grape vineyard (cv "Italia") located in southern Italy, comparing results with the conventional tillage. Soil organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), microbial biomass C (MBC), β-glucosidase (BGLU) and alkaline phosphomonoesterase (APME) activities were assessed during three growing seasons (2012-2014) and three phenological stages. The trend of soil chemical and microbiological properties was jointly influenced by the soil management system, growing season and phenological stage. Compared to conventional tillage, cover crops increased, on average, soil organic C, total N, MBC, BGLU and APME by 136%, 93%, 112%, 100% and 62%, respectively. Slight or no effects of cover crops were observed on grape quality and yield, except for 2012 (the driest season), when a yield reduction occurred. This study reveals that cover crops strongly enhance soil quality in the short-term, with potential advantages for grape production in the long-term

Immune recovery and T cell subset analysis during effective treatment with maraviroc

n/

Cancer drug related cardiotoxicity during breast cancer treatment

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women. Although therapeutic armamentarium like chemotherapy, endocrine and target agents have increased survival, cardiovascular side effects have been observed. A comprehensive risk assessment, early detection and management of cardiac adverse events is therefore needed. Areas covered: In this review we focus on cardiotoxicity data deriving from Phase III randomized trials, systematic reviews and meta-analysis in BC patients. We provide insight into advances that have been made in the molecular mechanisms, clinical presentation and management of such adverse event. Expert opinion: Despite the large number of data from Phase III trials about cardiac events incidence, there are poor evidences for detection, monitoring and management of cardiotoxicity during BC treatment. Future cardiotoxicity-oriented clinical cancer research can help to predict the risk of cardiac adverse events and improve patients’ outcome. Multidisciplinary approach as well as integration of blood biomarkers with imaging will be desirable