Search results for "CD"

Mechanical and acoustical behavior of sugarcane and flax fibres reinforced biocomposite

2017

For reasons of comfort, modern constructions require acoustic and thermal insulating materials, offering good mechanical performances. In this context, the valorization of plant fibres from the agro-food industry presents economic and environmental benefits. Thus, the aim of the present study is to develop a multifunctional sugarcane fibres reinforced epoxy porous composite combining good acoustic and mechanical properties.The study of the bagasse fibres geometry has shown that fibres’ length and diameter distribution can be fitted by lognormal laws. Composites manufactured by thermocompression process with an epoxy matrix were characterized using an experimental design whose parameters wer…

Digit replacement: A generic map for nonlinear dynamical systems

2016

A simple discontinuous map is proposed as a generic model for nonlinear dynamical systems. The orbit of the map admits exact solutions for wide regions in parameter space and the method employed (digit manipulation) allows the mathematical design of useful signals, such as regular or aperiodic oscillations with specific waveforms, the construction of complex attractors with nontrivial properties as well as the coexistence of different basins of attraction in phase space with different qualitative properties. A detailed analysis of the dynamical behavior of the map suggests how the latter can be used in the modeling of complex nonlinear dynamics including, e.g., aperiodic nonchaotic attracto…

The effect of detergents on the basement membrane complex of a biologic scaffold material

2013

The basement membrane complex (BMC) is a critical component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that supports and facilitates the growth of cells. This study investigates four detergents commonly used in the process of tissue decellularization and their effect upon the BMC. The BMC of porcine urinary bladder was subjected to 3% Triton-X 100, 8 mM 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS), 4% sodium deoxycholate or 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) for 24 h. The BMC structure for each treatment group was assessed by immunolabeling, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging of the fiber network. The composition was assessed by quantif…

A multi-methodology and sustainability-supporting framework for implementation and assessment of a holistic building renovation

La ristrutturazione degli edifici in futuro dovrà essere condotta secondo una prospettiva più olistica legata alla sostenibilità vista in una più ampia gamma di obiettivi/criteri e facilitata dagli scenari di ristrutturazione possibili. La ristrutturazione degli edifici dovrebbe servire a migliorarne le performance al fine di soddisfare le esigenze degli utenti, rendendo questi ultimi meno vulnerabili in relazione ai futuri costi energetici. Vi è un grande potenziale per ridurre il consumo di energia negli edifici esistenti. Tuttavia, ciò non deve comprometterè i valori architettonici e di qualità che rendono particolari. Pertanto, non possono essere semplicemente rinnovati, ma devono subir…

Determinants essential for the transmissible gastroenteritis virus-receptor interaction reside within a domain of aminopeptidase-N that is distinct f…

1994

The swine-specific coronavirus transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) uses pig aminopeptidase-N (pAPN) as a cellular receptor. We showed that the human aminopeptidase-N (hAPN) cannot substitute for pAPN in this respect, although the two enzymes have 80% amino acid sequence identity. In order to map the TGEV binding site on pAPN, we constructed a series of APN cDNA chimeras between pAPN and hAPN and analyzed them for their capacity to confer infectivity. The region between residues 717 and 813 was found to be essential for infectivity. This region also contains the epitopes for three TGEV-blocking monoclonal antibodies directed against pAPN. These data support the view that the catalytic…

Patrimonio Cultural y Política Educativa del Consejo de Europa: ¿Preservando la identidad y buscando un núcleo central?

2019

This article presents the Council of Europe’s educational policy, indicating its major milestones and characteristics when it comes to issues of cultural heritage. First it offers an analysis of the strategic documents (i.e. recommendation No. R (98) 5 of the committee of ministers to member states concerning heritage education and conventions, with emphasis on the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Faro Convention). The notion of a common European Cultural Heritage as a shared and non-­‐renewable resource is presented in the human rights approach to cultural heritage. The article pays special attention to intercultural dialogue and how it …

"Belye lilii" : genezis finskogo mifa v bolgarii, rol' russkogo fennofil'stva, finsko-bolgarskie kontakty i posredniki s konca XIX do konca XX veka

2004

Liilia Siibergin väitöstyössä osoitetaan, miten suomalaisista on kirjallisuuden kautta Bulgariassa tullut sankareita, joita kohtaan tunnetaan erityistä sympatiaa. Samalla suomalaisista sinkoutuu pois kaikki, mikä voisi viitata epätäydellisyyteen. – Emme enää voi puhua stereotypiasta, vaan kyseessä on kansallismyytti, Siiberg toteaa. Bulgarialaisilla ei kuitenkaan ole erityisasemaa suomalaisten mielissä. Väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan Suomen ja Bulgarian välisten kulttuuri- ja kirjallisuussuhteiden syntymistä ja kehitystä sekä tutkitaan kanssakäymisen erityispiirteitä vertailevan kirjallisuustieteen ja kulttuurintutkimuksen näkökulmasta. Siibergin esittämä malli Suomen kansallismyytin syntymis…

BNT162b2 induces SARS-CoV-2-neutralising antibodies and T cells in humans

2020

BNT162b2, a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulated nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (S) stabilized in the prefusion conformation, has demonstrated 95% efficacy to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recently, we reported preliminary BNT162b2 safety and antibody response data from an ongoing placebo-controlled, observer-blinded phase 1/2 vaccine trial1. We present here antibody and T cell responses from a second, non-randomized open-label phase 1/2 trial in healthy adults, 19-55 years of age, after BNT162b2 prime/boost vaccination at 1 to 30 µg dose levels. BNT162b2 elicited strong antibody …

IL-23 receptor regulates unconventional IL-17-producing T cells that control bacterial infections.

2010

AbstractIL-23 plays an important role in autoimmune tissue inflammation and induces the generation of not fully characterized effector cells that mediate protection against pathogens. In this paper, we established the essential role of IL-23R in the host response against intracellular pathogens. IL-23 was critical for the expansion or maintenance of γδ and double negative (DN) αβ T cells. These cells were rapidly recruited to the site of infection and produced large amounts of IL-17, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. Notably, DN T cells transferred into L. monocytogenes-infected RAG2−/− mice prevented bacterial growth, confirming their protective role against intracellular pathogens. Our results show that …

Phenotype and function of monocyte derived dendritic cells in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

2004

The antiviral T cell failure of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was suggested to be caused by a T cell stimulation defect of dendritic cells (DC). To address this hypothesis, monocyte derived DC (MDDC) of patients with chronic or resolved acute HBV infection and healthy controls were studied phenotypically by FACS analyses and functionally by mixed lymphocyte reaction, ELISA, ELISpot and proliferation assays of MDDC cultures or co-cultures with an allogeneic HBc-specific Th cell clone. HBV infection of MDDC was studied by quantitative PCR. MDDC from HBV patients seemed to be infected by the HBV, showed a reduced surface expression of HLA DR and CD40 and exhibited a r…