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Chapter 3. Critical Factors and CauseEffect Analysis for Enhancing the Sustainability of Hydrogen Supply Chain
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"Design and analysis of a travelling wave ultrasonic motor for space applications"
No full textFirst International Conference on Computational Methods for Smart Structures and Materials, Wit Pres
Il Sistema di Gestione Ambientale. Linee guida all'applicazione della norma UNI EN ISO 14001:2004
No full textSuppressor of cytokine signaling gene expression in human pancreatic islets: modulation by cytokines.
No full textOBJECTIVE:
Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins negatively regulate signal transduction of several cytokines. Since cytokines participate in the pancreatic islet damage in type 1 diabetes, the aim of our study was to investigate the expression of SOCS-1, -2 and -3 in isolated human islets, in basal conditions and after exposure, in vitro, to a combination of interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha cytokines and in control and in type 1 diabetic human pancreata, to establish (i) whether SOCS molecules are constitutively expressed in human pancreatic islets and (ii) whether their expression can be modulated in vitro by proinflammatory cytokines or ex vivo by an islet inflammatory process.
METHODS:
Gene expression of SOCS-1, -2 and -3 was evaluated by RT-PCR in untreated and cytokine-treated isolated human pancreatic islets and their protein expression by immunohistochemistry in control and in type 1 diabetic human pancreata paraffin-embedded sections.
RESULTS:
We found that SOCS-1, -2 and -3 mRNA is constitutively, although weakly, expressed in human pancreatic islets, similar to the expression observed in control pancreata by immunohistochemistry. SOCS-1, -2 and -3 mRNA expression was strongly increased in human islets after exposure, in vitro, to IFN-gamma, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha. Accordingly, an intense and islet-specific immunohistochemical staining for all three SOCS was detected in pancreata from type 1 diabetic patients.
CONCLUSION:
SOCS-1, -2 and -3 genes are constitutively expressed in human pancreatic islets; their expression increases after exposure to proinflammatory cytokines and during an autoimmune inflammatory process, raising the possibility that these molecules act as key regulators of cytokine signaling in pancreatic islets
Environmental management accounting to support economic and environment improvement in a made-to-order production
No full textEnvironmental Management Accounting (EMA) is a methodology to help organisations identify and quantify the environmental costs of their production processes and analyse the economic benefits that result from improving their environmental performance. To do this, EMA uses appropriate accounting systems that translate the environmental impacts of industrial activity into monetary terms. The international scientific community unanimously agrees that EMA is a powerful tool to improve the environmental and economic performances of organisations, and the literature review verifies that EMA is a valid tool that improves decision making and budgeting, which results in comprehensive information and direction about the significant economic costs that are due to the environmental aspects/impacts of the organisation. However, to date, studies have only applied EMA to companies that mass produce. EMA has not been validated for companies where production is made to order. This study investigated the applicability and validity of using the EMA methodology for companies where production is made to order. To this end, we present the research conducted in 2009 by the Environmental Quality Research Centre at the University of Padua in collaboration with an Italian manufacturing company that allowed the EMA methodology, with the necessary assumptions and amendments, to be applied to its made-to-order production. From the case study, this article highlights the potential use and limitations of applying EMA in a made-to-order production company, confirming that EMA is able to identify and quantify the environmental cost and support management in decision making regarding environmental and economic performance improvements. This article also distinguishes the similarities and differences between the chosen case study and other case studies from literature that have studied companies that mass produce, i.e., comparing the methodology followed, results, validity and limitations of the results. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved
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