EFFECTIVE ELASTIC CONSTANTS OF PLAGIOCLASE FELDSPAR AGGREGATES IN DEPENDENCE OF THE ANORTHITE CONTENT - A CONCISE REVIEW

Recent work on the elastic constants of plagioclase feldspars is reviewed. Based on the 21 elastic constants (stiffnesses) reported in the literature for triclinic plagioclase monocrystals of different composition, the effective elastic constants of dense, single-phase, polycrystalline plagioclase aggregates with isotropic microstructure are calculated via standard VoigtReuss-Hill averaging. Master curves show the good agreement of the constants obtained via the two approaches (experiment and simulation) and recall the fact that values reported in the older literature have been underestimated. Fit relations are given for the calculation of Young modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus, Poisson ratio and density in dependence of the composition. These fit relations may serve as handy tools for obtaining relevant input information for the calculation of effective elastic constants of multiphase ceramics produced with Ca and Na containing raw materials

miRNA-mRNA integrative analysis in primary myelofibrosis CD34+ cells: role of miR-155/JARID2 axis in abnormal megakaryopoiesis

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by megakaryocyte (MK) hyperplasia, bone marrow fibrosis, and abnormal stem cell trafficking. PMF may be associated with somatic mutations in JAK2, MPL, or CALR. Previous studies have shown that abnormal MKs play a central role in the pathophysiology of PMF. In this work, we studied both gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in CD34(+) cells from PMF patients. We identified several biomarkers and putative molecular targets such as FGR, LCN2, and OLFM4. By means of miRNA-gene expression integrative analysis, we found different regulatory networks involved in the dysregulation of transcriptional control and chromatin remodeling. In particular, we identified a network gathering several miRNAs with oncogenic potential (eg, miR-155-5p) and targeted genes whose abnormal function has been previously associated with myeloid neoplasms, including JARID2, NR4A3, CDC42, and HMGB3. Because the validation of miRNA-target interactions unveiled JARID2/miR-155-5p as the strongest relationship in the network, we studied the function of this axis in normal and PMF CD34(+) cells. We showed that JARID2 downregulation mediated by miR-155-5p overexpression leads to increased in vitro formation of CD41(+) MK precursors. These findings suggest that overexpression of miR-155-5p and the resulting downregulation of JARID2 may contribute to MK hyperplasia in PMF

Epistolari dal Due al Seicento. Modelli, questioni ecdotiche, edizioni, cantieri aperti (Gargnano del Garda, 29 settembre - 1° ottobre 2014)

Nei secoli passati, la lettera era l'unico mezzo di comunicazione: familiare, amichevole, d'ufficio o di servizio, ma anche strumento di dibattito politico e culturale. Lo studio degli epistolari dei singoli ma anche delle reti di comunicazione e di scambio è uno dei grandi temi della ricerca europea contemporanea. Vi si inserisce questo secondo volume dei "Quaderni di Gargnano", che - volgendosi sia alla produzione latina sia a quella volgare dal Due al Seicento - si sofferma su problemi metodologici e casi significativi, con impostazioni e tagli diversi: dall'ecdotica alla filologia, dall'archivistica, alla storia, alla storia delle discipline

The BioMart community portal: an innovative alternative to large, centralized data repositories.

The BioMart Community Portal (www.biomart.org) is a community-driven effort to provide a unified interface to biomedical databases that are distributed worldwide. The portal provides access to numerous database projects supported by 30 scientific organizations. It includes over 800 different biological datasets spanning genomics, proteomics, model organisms, cancer data, ontology information and more. All resources available through the portal are independently administered and funded by their host organizations. The BioMart data federation technology provides a unified interface to all the available data. The latest version of the portal comes with many new databases that have been created by our ever-growing community. It also comes with better support and extensibility for data analysis and visualization tools. A new addition to our toolbox, the enrichment analysis tool is now accessible through graphical and web service interface. The BioMart community portal averages over one million requests per day. Building on this level of service and the wealth of information that has become available, the BioMart Community Portal has introduced a new, more scalable and cheaper alternative to the large data stores maintained by specialized organizations

Protective treatments for lapped porcelain stoneware tiles and evaluation of their cleanability

Since the arrival of lapped porcelain stoneware tiles on the market, several studies have been focused on the improvement of the technical characteristics of the surfaces of these products. Surface lapping induces aesthetical improvements, but can at the same time deteriorate the performance of porcelain stoneware tiles. To overcome this problem, it is possible to protect the lapped surface with commercial waterproofing materials. In this work, lapped commercial porcelain stoneware tiles with protective stain proofing agents (FILA PD15 and FILA 1239 Plus) were evaluated. The stain resistance and chemical resistance results were correlated to the morphological surface characteristics of the products with and without protection. A systematic study of the surface porosity of the tiles was carried out. Results showed that unprotected surface pores tend to fill with dirt that is hardly removable by ordinary maintenance. If the pores are protected, the dirt from foot traffic is deposited only superficially and can be removed

PROTECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR LAPPED PORCELAIN STONEWARE TILES AND EVALUATION OF THEIR CLEANABILITY

Since the arrival of lapped porcelain stoneware tiles on the market, several studies have been focused on the improvement of the technical characteristics of the surfaces of these products. Surface lapping induces aesthetical improvements, but can at the same time deteriorate the performance of porcelain stoneware tiles. To overcome this problem, it is possible to protect the lapped surface with commercial waterproofing materials. In this work, lapped commercial porcelain stoneware tiles with protective stain proofing agents (FILA PD15 and FILA 1239 Plus) were evaluated. The stain resistance and chemical resistance results were correlated to the morphological surface characteristics of the products with and without protection. A systematic study of the surface porosity of the tiles was carried out. Results showed that unprotected surface pores tend to fill with dirt that is hardly removable by ordinary maintenance. If the pores are protected, the dirt from foot traffic is deposited only superficially and can be removed

Thermal and acoustic performances of porcelain stoneware tiles

Nowadays there is a growing trend in using the radiant floor heating system for domestic applications, being one of the more widely used heating system. Floating tile systems are currently used also in domestic environment in order to reduce walking noise or vibration. Both for thermal and acoustic performances computer simulations about the effect of several design parameters on the floor heating system and on the floating tile system have concluded that the most important factors are the floor material type and thickness. In the present work, thermal and acoustic properties of four commercial porcelain stoneware tiles having different composition and/or different thickness were analyzed in terms of thermal conductivity and reduction of walking noise. Results showed that noise reduction is strongly influenced by the type of fixing (adhesive or floating tiling) and by the materials coupled with the tiles. Thermal conductivity is directly dependent on the total porosity of the samples

Evaluation of durability and cleanability performances of protective treatments for lapped ceramic tiles\u2014Part 1

The aim of this work was to evaluate the durability, in real pedestrian traffic condition, of lapped porcelain stonewares with surface protective treatments able to fill up pores opened by the lapping process. In recent years, the durability of ceramic surfaces has become a key factor during the design process. The knowledge of the material durability is important to define the behavior of tiles in use. Standard procedures for indirectly assessing durability are already available (ie, abrasion tests, staining resistance, chemical resistance), however, a standard method of aging in real condition is still lacking. In this study, a durability test was performed in real pedestrian traffic condition by fixing tiles on floors to evaluate the surface characteristics after 6 and 12\ua0months. The surface characteristics were analyzed before and after the durability tests and in terms of microstructural observations and determination of surface porosity. In particular a durability index has been estimated as ratio of pores filled by dirtiness respect to the original surface porosity (before aging). Results of durability index showed good correlation between aging duration and kind of treatments (industrially applied and/or manually applied)

Evaluation of durability and cleanability performances of protective treatments for lapped ceramic tiles - Part 2

The aim of this work is to evaluate the cleanability performances of lapped porcelain stoneware surfaces with and without protective treatments. The knowledge of the material cleanability is an important selection parameter in buying tiles. However, an objective basis for testing and assessing this property still is lacking. In this study, standardized and laboratory tests to evaluate the cleanability performance of lapped porcelain stoneware products have been carried out and compared. Cleanability tests were performed by applying two different soiling suspensions, optimized for tile surfaces and reproducing chemical and mechanical actions simulating the working conditions and traditional cleaning operations. Surface characteristics (microstructure, topography, roughness) were analyzed before and after cleanability tests. The results showed a good correlation between different behavior in terms of cleanability and the microscopic and topographic characteristics of lapped tile. Respect to international standardized tests specific for ceramic tiles, such as stains resistance test, the laboratory procedures to evaluate the surface cleanability are able to better show cleanability improvements of lapped tiles with protective treatments