Search results for "Apparatu"
showing 10 items of 195 documents
Dis-organizing centrosomal clusters: specific cancer therapy for a generic spread?
2015
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality and the annual incidence of new cancer cases is rising worldwide. Due to the frequent development of resistance and the side effects of established anti-cancer drugs, the quest for new drugs with improved therapeutic features goes on. In contrast to cytotoxic chemotherapy of the past, the concept of targeted chemotherapy attempts to increase specificity of therapy by attacking tumor-related mechanisms. A novel emerging treatment concept represents the inhibition of centrosomal clustering. The centrosome regulates mitotic spindle formation assuring uniform separation of chromosomes to daughter cells. Many tumors contain supernumerary centrosomes, which …
A thin absorbing layer at the center of a Fabry-Pérot interferometer
1994
The influence of a dye (Rhodamin B) dissolved in solution or adsorbed at an interface at the center of a Fabry-Perot interferometer on the transmission was investigated both experimentally and theoretically. We show that (i) spectra of extremely thin films are measurable at sub-monolayer concentration (one monolayer reduces the transmission by ≃50%), (ii) the transmission is sensitive to the location of an extremely thin film within nm range and (iii) the absorption coefficient is determined quantitatively by comparison between theory and experiment thus permitting one to estimate the local concentration. The results are relevant for the use of dye probes to monitor changes of organic inter…
'School adopts an experiment': the magnetic levitation of superconductors
2010
The event 'School adopts an experiment' is an event targeted at high schools and secondary schools. It is based on a tight and direct collaboration between researchers and school students and teachers. Several schools were involved in the event by 'adopting' an experiment in physics research laboratories. Groups of selected students were first trained by university researchers, then they demonstrated the experiments to other students and teachers during the event. Students who adopted an experiment acquired knowledge of the subjects connected with the experiment in a most impressive way compared with the usual didactics at school. Further positive points were: (i) to establish a close and d…
An inquiry-based approach to Maxwell distribution: a case study with engineering students
2013
The concept of distribution is a fundamental component of statistical thinking. This paper describes a teaching approach for it that uses a specific activity related to the field of statistical mechanics. The concept of the velocity distribution of a particle system is dealt with using an inquiry-based approach involving an experimental examination of Maxwell’s distribution. Some outcomes of a teaching experiment held at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Palermo, Italy are described.
A pedagogical approach to the Boltzmann factor through experiments and simulations
2009
The Boltzmann factor is the basis of a huge amount of thermodynamic and statistical physics, both classical and quantum. It governs the behaviour of all systems in nature that are exchanging energy with their environment. To understand why the expression has this specific form involves a deep mathematical analysis, whose flow of logic is hard to see and is not at the level of high school or college students' preparation. We here present some experiments and simulations aimed at directly deriving its mathematical expression and illustrating the fundamental concepts on which it is grounded. Experiments use easily available apparatuses, and simulations are developed in the Net-Logo environment…
Two experiments to approach the Boltzmann factor: chemical reaction and viscous flow
2012
In this paper we discuss a pedagogical approach aimed at pointing out the role played by the Boltzmann factor in describing phenomena usually perceived as regulated by different mechanisms of functioning. Experimental results regarding some aspects of a chemical reaction and of the viscous flow of some liquids are analysed and described in terms of macroscopic variables whose temperature dependence is proportional to the Boltzmann factor. A description of a workshop implementing the approach in the framework of an undergraduate course for engineering education and some preliminary results about its pedagogical relevance are then reported.
Putative p24 complexes in Arabidopsis contain members of the delta and beta subfamilies and cycle in the early secretory pathway
2013
p24 proteins are a family of type I membrane proteins localized to compartments of the early secretory pathway and to coat protein I (COPI)- and COPII-coated vesicles. They can be classified, by sequence homology, into four subfamilies, named p24α, p24β, p24γ, and p24δ. In contrast to animals and fungi, plants contain only members of the p24β and p24δ subfamilies, the latter probably including two different subclasses. It has previously been shown that transiently expressed red fluorescent protein (RFP)-p24δ5 (p24δ1 subclass) localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) at steady state as a consequence of highly efficient COPI-based recycling from the Golgi apparatus. It is now shown that tr…
Coupled transport of Arabidopsis p24 proteins at the ER–Golgi interface
2012
p24 proteins are a family of type I membrane proteins localized to compartments of the early secretory pathway and to coat protein I (COPI)- and COPII-coated vesicles. They can be classified, by sequence homology, into four subfamilies, named p24α, p24β, p24γ, and p24δ. In contrast to animals and fungi, plants contain only members of the p24β and p24δ subfamilies. It has previously been shown that transiently expressed red fluorescent protein (RFP)–p24δ5 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as a consequence of highly efficient COPI-based recycling from the Golgi apparatus. Using specific antibodies, endogenous p24δ5 has now been localized to the ER and p24β2 to the Golgi apparatus in…
Entry of Human Parechovirus 1
2001
ABSTRACT Human parechovirus 1 (HPEV-1) is a prototype member of parechoviruses, a recently established picornavirus genus. Although there is preliminary evidence that HPEV-1 recognizes α V integrins as cellular receptors, our understanding of early events during HPEV-1 infection is still very limited. The aim of this study was to clarify the entry mechanisms of HPEV-1, including the attachment of the virus onto the host cell surface and subsequent internalization. In blocking experiments with monoclonal antibodies against different receptor candidates, antibodies against α V and β 3 integrin subunits, in particular in combination, appeared to be the most efficient ones in preventing the HPE…
“Effect of Filler Type and Processing Apparatus on the Properties of the Recycled “Light Fraction” from Municipal Post-Consumer Plastics”
2001
Plastic waste or scraps are generated from two main sources: industrial wastes and post-consumer wastes. By using the flotation method, generally two fractions are obtained from municipal post-consumer wastes: a light fraction, floating on water, and a heavy fraction. The former is essentially made of low and high density polyethylene—LDPE, HDPE—and polypropylene—PP; the heavy fraction is formed by poly(vinyl chloride)—PVC—and poly(ethylene terephthalate)—PET. In this work, the recycling of a light fraction from municipal post-consumer plastics has been studied, considering also the effect of filler type—glass fibres, calcium carbonate and wood fibres—and processing apparatus—discountinous …