Search results for " SM"

Microwear textures associated with experimental near-natural diets suggest that seeds and hard insect body parts cause high enamel surface complexity…

2022

In mammals, complex dental microwear textures (DMT) representing differently sized and shaped enamel lesions overlaying each other have traditionally been associated with the seeds and kernels in frugivorous diets, as well as with sclerotized insect cuticles. Recently, this notion has been challenged by field observations as well as in vitro experimental data. It remains unclear to what extent each food item contributes to the complexity level and is reflected by the surface texture of the respective tooth position along the molar tooth row. To clarify the potential of seeds and other abrasive dietary items to cause complex microwear textures, we conducted a controlled feeding experiment wi…

A simple CO 2 equilibration method for measuring blood oxygen isotope compositions

2022

Multitemporal and multiresolution leaf area index retrieval for operational local rice crop monitoring

2016

Abstract This paper presents an operational chain for high-resolution leaf area index (LAI) retrieval from multiresolution satellite data specifically developed for Mediterranean rice areas. The proposed methodology is based on the inversion of the PROSAIL radiative transfer model through the state-of-the-art nonlinear Gaussian process regression (GPR) method. Landsat and SPOT5 data were used for multitemporal LAI retrievals at high-resolution. LAI estimates were validated using time series of in situ LAI measurements collected during the rice season in Spain and Italy. Ground LAI data were collected with smartphones using PocketLAI, a specific phone application for LAI estimation. Temporal…

Impact of smoking on COVID-19 outcomes: a HOPE Registry subanalysis

2021

BackgroundSmoking has been associated with poorer outcomes in relation to COVID-19. Smokers have higher risk of mortality and have a more severe clinical course. There is paucity of data available on this issue, and a definitive link between smoking and COVID-19 prognosis has yet to be established.MethodsWe included 5224 patients with COVID-19 with an available smoking history in a multicentre international registry Health Outcome Predictive Evaluation for COVID-19 (NCT04334291). Patients were included following an in-hospital admission with a COVID-19 diagnosis. We analysed the outcomes of patients with a current or prior history of smoking compared with the non-smoking group. The primary …

Smart inulin-based polycationic nanodevices for siRNA delivery

2017

The advances of short interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated therapy provide a powerful option for the treatment of many diseases by silencing the expression of targeted genes including cancer development and progression. Inulin is a very simple and biocompatible polysaccharide proposed by our groups to produce interesting delivery systems for Nucleic Acid Based Drugs (NABDs), such as siRNA, either as polycations able to give polyplexes and polymeric coatings for nanosystems having a metallic core. In this research field, different functionalizing groups were linked to the inulin backbone with specific aims including oligoamine such as Ethylendiammine (EDA), Diethylediamine (DETA), Spermine, (SPM…

Development of a simple, biocompatible and cost-effective Inulin-Diethylenetriamine based siRNA delivery system

2015

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have the potential to be of therapeutic value for many human diseases. So far, however, a serious obstacle to their therapeutic use is represented by the absence of appropriate delivery systems able to protect them from degradation and to allow an efficient cellular uptake. In this work we developed a siRNA delivery system based on inulin (Inu), an abundant and natural polysaccharide. Inu was functionalized via the conjugation with diethylenetriamine (DETA) residues to form the complex Inu-DETA. We studied the size, surface charge and the shape of the Inu-DETA/siRNA complexes; additionally, the cytotoxicity, the silencing efficacy and the cell uptake-mechanis…

Gold nanostar–polymer hybrids for siRNA delivery: Polymer design towards colloidal stability and in vitro studies on breast cancer cells

2017

To overcome the low bioavailability of siRNA (small interfering RNA) and to improve their transfection efficiency, the use of non-viral delivery carriers is today a feasible approach to transform the discovery of these incredibly potent and versatile drugs into clinical practice. Polymer-modified gold nanoconstructs (AuNCs) are currently viewed as efficient and safe intracellular delivery carriers for siRNA, as they have the possibility to conjugate the ability to stably entrap and deliver siRNAs inside cells with the advantages of gold nanoparticles, which can act as theranostic agents and radiotherapy enhancers through laser-induced hyperthermia. In this study, AuNCs were prepared by coat…

EXTERNAL RECIRCULATION IN PRS TYPE TURBINE: EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL RESULTS.

2022

Cavitation is a relevant phenomenon for structural safety and noise level in hydraulic turbines, occurring when water pressure falls below the vapor value at a given temperature. In this case bubbles of vapor grow inside the liquid and move along with it. When the pressure returns above the vapor value the bubble collapses, and the pressure can locally achieve very high values, up to 7000 bars (Kumar & Saini, 2010). Moreover, if the bubble was confined also by the solid wall of a blade, the solid particles suspended in the fluid can be transported by the fluid ones and hit the solid wall at very high velocity, generating erosion. Cavitation is also the source of high frequency noise, ve…

On the FON astroplate project accomplishment

2019

The plan for a photographic survey of the northern sky (FON) was proposed at the Golosiiv observatory (Main Astronomical Observatory, NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine) in the late 1970-ies [Pakuliak et al., 2016; Vavilova, 2016; Vavilova et al., 2017]. The last compilation of the final catalog of objects involves 5,700 digitized astroplates of four observatories: MAO NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine) [Andruk et al., 2016], Kitab Astronomical Observatory (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) [Yuldoshev et al., 2017], Gissar Astronomical Observatory (Dushanbe, Tajikistan) [Mullo-Abdolov et al., 2017, 2018], and the observatory in Baldone (Latvia) [Eglitis, 2017]. The consolidated catalog of positions and B-magnit…

Investigation of charge ratio variation in mRNA – DEAE-dextran polyplex delivery systems

2019

Biomaterials 192, 612 - 620 (2019). doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.10.020