8,112 research outputs found
RAPOPORT H. F., FABBRI A., SEBASTIANI L., 2016. Olive Biology. In Rugini, E., Baldoni, L., Muleo, R., Sebastiani, L. (Eds.), “The Olive Genome”, pp. 13-26. Springer, Heidelberg.
No full textThe olive is a medium-sized evergreen tree, which integrates a unique set
of morphological and developmental characteristics suited to the relatively
dry, rustic conditions of its Mediterranean origin. Also particular to the
olive tree are its numerous small fruits, which are rich in oil that is highly
appreciated for both flavor and health benefits. The Olea europaea species
includes both wild and cultivated forms, and both a long period of
domestication and the perseverance of wild varieties provide a range of
morphological variation, as does the developmental plasticity of this
species. This chapter reviews the general growth and taxonomy of the
olive tree and describes its vegetative and reproductive morphology and
anatomy. Basic structural features of the trunk and branches, leaves, roots,
flowers, fruits, and seeds are described. Current research is indicated for
the structures discussed, and information provided regarding adaptive
significance, environmental influences, and genetically based variability
among cultivars or between wild and cultivated genotypes
Spin fluids in Bianchi-I f(R)-cosmology with torsion
No full textWe study Weyssenhoff spin fluids in Bianchi type-I cosmological models, within the framework of torsional f(R)-gravity; the resulting field equations are derived and discussed in both Jordan and Einstein frames, clarifying the role played by the spin and the non-linearity of the gravitational Lagrangian f(R) in generating the torsional dynamical contributions. The general conservation laws holding for f(R)-gravity with torsion are employed to provide the conditions needed to ensure the preservation of the Hamiltonian constraint and the consequent correct formulation of the associated initial value problem. Examples are eventually given
The most general ELKO matter in torsional f(R)-theories
No full textWe study f(R)-gravity with torsion in presence of the most general ELKO matter, checking the consistency of the conservation laws with the matter field equations; we discuss some mathematical features of the field equations in connection with a cosmological application
Dirac spinors in Bianchi-I f(R)-cosmology with torsion
No full textWe study Dirac spinors in Bianchi type-I cosmological models, within the framework of torsional f(R)-gravity. We find four types of results: the resulting dynamic behavior of the universe depends on the particular choice of function f(R); some f(R) models do not isotropize and have no Einstein limit, so that they have no physical significance, whereas for other f(R) models isotropization and Einsteinization occur, and so they are physically acceptable, suggesting that phenomenological arguments may select f(R) models that are physically meaningful; the singularity problem can be avoided, due to the presence of torsion; the general conservation laws holding for f(R)-gravity with torsion ensure the preservation of the Hamiltonian constraint, so proving that the initial value problem is well-formulated for these models
Prognostic role of clusterin in resected adenocarcinomas of the lung
No full textPrognostic role of clusterin in resected adenocarcinomas of the lung.
Panico F, Casali C, Rossi G, Rizzi F, Morandi U, Bettuzzi S, Davalli P, Corbetta L, Storelli ES, Corti A, Fabbri LM, Astancolle S, Luppi F.
Source
Section of Respiratory Diseases, Department of Oncology, Haematology & Pulmonology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Abstract
RATIONALE:
Clusterin expression may change in various human malignancies, including lung cancer. Patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including adenocarcinoma, have a poor prognosis, with a relapse rate of 30-50% within 5 years. Nuclear factor kB (Nf-kB) is an intracellular protein involved in the initiation and progression of several human cancers, including the lung.
OBJECTIVES:
We investigate the role of clusterin and Nf-kB expression in predicting the prognosis of patients with early-stage surgically resected adenocarcinoma of the lung.
FINDINGS:
The level of clusterin gradually decreased from well-differentiated to poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas. Clusterin expression was significantly higher in patients with low-grade adenocarcinoma, in early-stage disease and in women. Clusterin expression was inversely related to relapse and survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Finally, we observed an inverse correlation between Nf-kB and clusterin.
CONCLUSIONS:
Clusterin expression represents an independent prognostic factor in surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma and was proven to be a useful biomarker for fewer relapses and longer survival in patients in the early stage of disease. The inverse correlation between Nf-kB and clusterin expression confirm the previously reported role of clusterin as potent down regulator of Nf-kB
Plastic Optical Fiber pH Sensor Using a Sol-Gel Sensing Matrix
No full textCurrent trends in optical sensors, such as miniaturization, flexibility and enhanced sensitivity, are indicating a new chemical route for the development of advanced multifunctional materials for optical applications. Those chemical technologies, which can be more easily customized and allows the inclusion of multiple functionalities within a unique preparation step, are bound to be progressively more and more applied to the preparation of optical materials.In this perspective, the sol-gel technology certainly represents one of the most promising chemical strategies, thanks to numerous advantages mainly related to simplicity and mild operative conditions. It enables creating a glass-like porous structure at room temperature by a two-step acid or base catalyzed reaction involving hydrolysis and condensation, starting with metal alkoxides M(OR)4, which transforms into a rigid three-dimensional metal-oxide network (Brinker, 1990). The sol–gel process has been proved to be flexible enough for an efficient incorporation of organic polymer chains that can behave as flexible links between the metal-oxide domains in the inorganic network, in particular when they are bearing reactive groups that can be involved in the hydrolysis–condensation reactions. The resulting materials are known as organic–inorganic hybrids (Schmidt, 2000), also commonly designated as ceramers due to the combination of the properties of ceramics (high modulus, thermal stability and low coefficient of thermal expansion) with those of organic polymers (high ductility, molecular flexibility and low temperature processing). These materials are often also known as phase-interconnected nanocomposites because of the high level of interconnection between the two phases with domain phase sizes approaching the nanometer scale. Ceramers have a huge potential for application in a variety of advanced technologies (Eckert, 2001; Sanchez, 2011; Kickelkick, 2006), both as structural materials and functional materials, such as catalyst supports, protective coatings (Messori, 2003, 2004a); Toselli, 2007; Fabbri, 2008), sensors (Rovati, 2011; Fabbri, 2011), and active glasses.Optical fiber sensors are traditionally obtain by fully-inorganic sol-gel process that allows the creation of Si-O-Si linkages between the silica core of the optical fiber and the silica porous matrix deriving from the jellification of the sensitive dye-doped colloidal suspension (Cao, 2005). However, this approach cannot be easily applied in the case of plastic optical fibers, due to the ineffective interaction between the organic PMMA optical fiber core (Lin, 2000).The approach proposed in this work consists in the fabrication of a pH sensor based on an organic-inorganic hybrid matrix obtained by a sol-gel process, doped with a pH sensitive indicator, to be applied at the tip of plastic optical fibers. Inside the sensitive element, the organic part of the hybrid glass, polyethylene oxide (PEO), plays a multiple role: (i) it allows good adhesion between the plastic optical fiber and the whole sensitive element; (ii) its weak hydrophilicity permits to tune the kinetic of response of the sensor by influencing thediffusion rate of the analyte inside the porous matrix and its interaction with the indicator; (iii) its nature of organic compound allows better physical and chemical interactions with the organic pH indicator dispersed in the hybrid matrix, thus reducing problems of leaching and enhancing the response rate of the sensor
Revisiting the optimal population size problem under endogenous growth: minimal utility level and finite lives
No full textIn this paper, we devise a social criterion in the spirit of the critical utility level of Blackorby-Donaldson (1984) to study an optimal population size problem in an endogenously growing economy populated by workers living a fixed amount of time and without capital accumulation. Population growth is endogenous. The problem is analytically solved, yielding closed-form solutions to optimal demographic and economic dynamics. It is shown that provided the economy is not driven to optimal finite time extinction, the optimal solution is egalitarian for appropriate choices of the critical utility levels: all individuals of any cohort are given the same consumption. The results obtained do not require any priori restriction of the values of the elasticity of intertemporal substitution unlike in several related papers.Optimal population size; finite life span; critical utility value; optimal extinction; balanced growth paths
Running coupling in electroweak interactions of leptons from f(R)-gravity with torsion
No full textThe f(R)-gravitational theory with torsion is considered for one family of leptons; it is found that the torsion tensor gives rise to interactions having the structure of the weak forces while the intrinsic non-linearity of the f(R) function provides an energy-dependent coupling: in this way, torsional f(R) gravity naturally generates both structure and strength of the electroweak interactions among leptons. This implies that the weak interactions among the lepton fields could be addressed as a geometric effect due to the interactions among spinors induced by the presence of torsion in the most general f(R) gravity. Phenomenological considerations are addressed
Coconut fibre insulators: The hygrothermal behaviour in the case of green roofs
No full textCoconut fibre insulators represent an insulating material considered as ‘‘exotic”, which clashes with the
scepticism of his thermo-hygrometric behaviour, particularly in the case of covering technology such as
green roofs, which is a technological solution often adopted in the case of sustainable buildings or nearly
zero energy building. Green roofs represent a valid constructive solution with high thermal performances,
adopted both in existing and new buildings. The purpose of the research regards the study of
the thermo-hygrometric behaviour of the concrete (CLS) and Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) slabs, insulated
with coconut fibreboards (CF) such as an alternative of synthetic insulator, referred to 10 different
green roofs scenarios. The results show that coconut fibre insulations are equally comparable to natural
and synthetic materials, and the doubts for their applications, including the green roofs, are related to
technological solutions for the implementation in the market and their diffusion between the buildings
materials, rather than their hygrothermal features
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