DesignNet: a online knowledge gateway for industrial design education and research activities

This paper presents DesignNet, a knowledge-based system to the online digital display, retrieval and archiving of rich media resources for industrial design education and research. It addresses the needs of end-users (teachers, researchers and students) and content providers interacting with the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano. The project moves from the assumption that traditional modalities of archiving and presentation currently adopted by the Politecnico and other academic institutions are not coherent with industrial design process and its need of project-support materials. The typical outputs of industrial design process are 3D models or 2D graphics, not just texts or simple images, the materials for which the usual method and technique of archiving and retrieval are conceived and developed. The challenges, philosophy and methodology in creating this evolving Web-based, cataloguing, multimedia knowledge-base to VR design resources are discussed. Finally, the related system and prototype are described

Antihepatotoxic and Antioxidant Activities of Methanol Extract and Isolated Compounds from Ficus chlamydocarpa

Free radicals, in particular radical oxygen species (ROS), play an important role in the aetiology and pathogenesis of various diseases. Current research in many countries focuses on the use of local medicinal plants as a promising source of liver protective agents. This paper describes the hepatoprotective effects of the methanol extract and four isolated compounds from Ficus chlamydocarpa on CCl4-induced liver damage, as well as the possible antioxidant mechanisms involved in this protection. The DPPH test, along with the ß-Carotene-Linoleic Acid Model System and Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power assays, as well as the inhibition of microsomal lipid peroxidation were used to measure radical-scavenging and antioxidant activities. Pretreatment of rats with the methanol extract of F. chlamydocarpa before CCl4administration, significantly prevented serum increase of hepatic enzyme markers, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), in a dose-dependent manner. The hepatoprotection was also associated with a significant enhancement in hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) and a marked decrease of liver malondialdehyde (MDA). Among the four compounds 1-4, isolated from the methanol extract, α-amyrin acetate (1) and luteolin (4) showed a significant hepatoprotective activity, as indicated by their ability to prevent liver cell death and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage during CCl4intoxication

Design_net: an online knowledge gateway for industrial design education and research activities

This paper presents Design_net, a knowledge-based system to the online digital display, retrieval and archiving of rich media resources for industrial design education and research. It addresses the needs of end-users (teachers, researchers and students) and content providers interacting with the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano. The project moves from the assumption that traditional modalities of archiving and presentation currently adopted by the Politecnico and other academic institutions are not coherent with industrial design process and its need of project-support materials. The typical outputs of industrial design process are 3D models or 2D graphics, not just texts or simple images, the materials for which the usual method and technique of archiving and retrieval are conceived and developed. The challenges, philosophy and methodology in creating this evolving Web-based, cataloguing, multimedia knowledge-base to VR design resources are discussed. Finally, the related system and prototype are described

Terpenoids from Russula lepida and R. amarissima (Basidiomycota, Russulaceae)

Four aristolane sesquiterpenes were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Russula lepida and R. amarissima, namely (1R,2S)-1,2-dihydroxyaristolone (6), (2S,11S)-2,12-dihydroxy-aristolone (7), (1R,2S,11S)-1,2,12- trihydroxyaristolone (8), (1S,2S,11S)-1,2,12-trihydroxy-aristolone (9). In addition, a seco-cucurbitane tri- terpene, i.e. 3,4-secocucurbita-4,24E-diene-3-hydroxy-26-carboxylic acid (14) was isolated from both species. The configuration at C-2 of the already known rulepidol (2-hydroxyaristolone, 5) was corrected as S instead of R. Several more aristolane and nardosinane sesquiterpenes, as well as cucurbitane triter- penes, already reported both from European and Chinese samples of R. lepida, were also isolated. Com- pound 14 showed moderate cell growth inhibitory activity

An online knowledge gateway for industrial design education and research activities

This poster presents the development of DesignNet, a knowledge-based project to the online digital display, retrieval and archiving of rich media resources for industrial design education and research. The project addresses the needs of end-users (teachers and students) and content providers interacting with the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano

Fungal metabolites. Part 45: The sesquiterpenes of Collybia maculata and Collybia peronata

The sesquiterpenes of Collybia maculata and C. peronata (Basidiomycetes) have been reinvestigated. In addition to collybolide, isocollybolide and deoxycollybulidol, five new structurally related sesquiterpene lactones have been isolated. The structures have been established by spectroscopic methods. Stereochemical assignments required a derailed conformational investigation, which has been carried out at the AM1 level fur all compounds, and at the B3LYP level for some of them. This led to the inversion of the previously proposed C-7 configuration of deoxycollybolidol. The absolute configuration of collybolides could tentatively be inferred from CD studies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved