Experimental investigation into the feasibility of an extruded wing

Fabrications of extruded aluminum alloy structures are reviewed. The design criteria and the fabrication of the main structure of a sailplane wing made of a few extruded profiles longitudinally connected one to the other are illustrated. Structural tests recently carried out are reported upon

A cryptic promoter in potato virus X vector interrupted plasmid construction

BACKGROUND: Potato virus X has been developed into an expression vector for plants. It is widely used to express foreign genes. In molecular manipulation, the foreign genes need to be sub-cloned into the vector. The constructed plasmid needs to be amplified. Usually, during amplification stage, the foreign genes are not expressed. However, if the foreign gene is expressed, the construction work could be interrupted. Two different viral genes were sub-cloned into the vector, but only one foreign gene was successfully sub-cloned. The other foreign gene, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) VP1 could not be sub-cloned into the vector and amplified without mutation (frame shift mutation). RESULTS: A cryptic promoter in the PVX vector was discovered with RT-PCR. The promoter activity was studied with Northern blots and Real-time RT-PCR. CONCLUSION: It is important to recognize the homologous promoter sequences in the vector when a virus is developed as an expression vector. During the plasmid amplification stage, an unexpected expression of the CPV-2 VP1 gene (not in the target plants, but in E. coli) can interrupt the downstream work

Deconvolving seismic signals with a SPICE model of the seismometer

Abstract Every transducer needs some deconvolution operation to return the original signal. In the seismometer’s case, this is usually done by using the pole-zero instrument models. This method assumes that the seismometer can be described by a linear model that can be schematized by a ratio of polynomials of the Laplace variable s. This paper shows a deconvolution method that uses the mechanic-electric model of a transducer. Such a model can also give a better description of a transducer since it can also take into account nonlinear behavior which cannot be included in pole-zero models. Examples of deconvolution of both linear and nonlinear transfer functions are shown, and some considerations about friction damping and the electromechanical analogies used to perform the simulations are included in the appendix

Delayed eruption of permanent dentition and maxillary contraction in patients with cleidocranial dysplasia: review and report of a family

Introduction. Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is an inherited disease caused by mutations in the RUNX2 gene on chromosome 6p21. This pathology, autosomal dominant or caused by a spontaneous genetic mutation, is present in one in one million individuals, with complete penetrance and widely variable expressivity. Aim. To identify the incidence of these clinical findings in the report of the literature by means of PubMed interface from 2002 to 2015, with the related keywords. The report of local patients presents a clinical example, related to the therapeutic approach. Results and Discussions. The PubMed research resulted in 122 articles. All the typical signs were reported in all presented cases. The maxilla was hypoplastic in 94% of the patients. Missing of permanent teeth was found in two cases: one case presented a class II jaw relationship, instead of class III malocclusion. Similar findings were present in our cohort. Conclusion. CCD is challenging for both the dental team and the patient. The treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach. Further studies are required to better understand the cause of this disease. According to this review, a multistep approach enhances the possibilities to achieve the recovery of the most possible number of teeth, as such to obtain a good occlusion and a better aesthetic

Conformations Of A Model Protein Revealed By An Aggregating Cuᴵᴵ Porphyrin: Sensing The Difference

Aggregated t-CuP binds to poly-L-glutamate through supramolecular interactions, revealing itself to be an extremely sensitive probe for the major conformations of the polymeric scaffold

Note sull’uso efficiente dei pannelli solari

Queste note derivano dalla mia esperienza nell’uso di pannelli solari, maturata in istallazioni in Africa, in Antartide e sui palloni stratosferici. Si tratta di considerazioni, essenzialmente votate a trarre dal fotovoltaico tutta l’energia possibile, nate sul campo dalle necessità del problema tecnico, ed organizzate per scrivere questa nota. Si parla di installazioni fisse o su veicolo, e non si trattano i sistemi ad inseguimento. Tutte le considerazioni sono di principio, e non si scende troppo nei dettagli realizzativi. Sono convinto che il lettore tecnico cui sono destinate sia abbastanza smaliziato da non richiedere minuzie circuitali