Search results for "MATTER"
showing 10 items of 16762 documents
Intramolecular structural parameters are key modulators of the gel-liquid transition in coarse grained simulations of DPPC and DOPC lipid bilayers
2018
The capability of coarse-grained models based on the MARTINI mapping to reproduce the gel-liquid phase transition in saturated and unsaturated model lipids was investigated. We found that the model is able to reproduce a lower critical temperature for 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) with respect to 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC). Nonetheless, the appearance of a gel phase for DOPC is strictly dependent on the intramolecular parameters chosen to model its molecular structure. In particular, we show that the bending angle at the coarse-grained bead corresponding to the unsaturated carbon-carbon bond acts as an order parameter determining the temperature of …
Stochastic sampling effects favor manual over digital contact tracing.
2020
Isolation of symptomatic individuals, tracing and testing of their nonsymptomatic contacts are fundamental strategies for mitigating the current COVID-19 pandemic. The breaking of contagion chains relies on two complementary strategies: manual reconstruction of contacts based on interviews and a digital (app-based) privacy-preserving contact tracing. We compare their effectiveness using model parameters tailored to describe SARS-CoV-2 diffusion within the activity-driven model, a general empirically validated framework for network dynamics. We show that, even for equal probability of tracing a contact, manual tracing robustly performs better than the digital protocol, also taking into accou…
Effects of air pollution particles (ultrafine and fine particulate matter) on mitochondrial function and oxidative stress – Implications for cardiova…
2020
Environmental pollution is a major cause of global mortality and burden of disease. All chemical pollution forms together may be responsible for up to 12 million annual excess deaths as estimated by the Lancet Commission on pollution and health as well as the World Health Organization. Ambient air pollution by particulate matter (PM) and ozone was found to be associated with an all-cause mortality rate of up to 9 million in the year 2015, with the majority being of cerebro- and cardiovascular nature (e.g. stroke and ischemic heart disease). Recent evidence suggests that exposure to airborne particles and gases contributes to and accelerates neurodegenerative diseases. Especially, airborne t…
Prickly Pear By-Product in the Feeding of Livestock Ruminants: Preliminary Investigation
2020
Simple Summary The question of sustainability of animal nutrition has become a popular topic. The gains made by recycling safe, yet otherwise valueless, by-products and wastes from human food and fiber production (green feeds) may lessen the competition between humans and animals for crops and decrease the environmental impact of food production. In this context, prickly pear by-product, which results from Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. fruits processed for juice extraction, could be an optimum by-product to ruminant feeding. This study evaluates the nutritional characteristics and its stability during storage using potassium metabisulfite as a preservative agent. This preliminary investig…
Insights into the inhibited form of the redox-sensitive SufE-like sulfur acceptor CsdE
2017
17 p.-8 fig.
Complexity analysis of cortical surface detects changes in future Alzheimer's disease converters
2017
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that creates neurodegenerative changes at several structural and functional levels in human brain tissue. The fractal dimension (FD) is a quantitative parameter that characterizes the morphometric variability of the human brain. In this study, we investigate spherical harmonic-based FD (SHFD), thickness, and local gyrification index (LGI) to assess whether they identify cortical surface abnormalities toward the conversion to AD. We study 33 AD patients, 122 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients (50 MCI converters and 29 MCI nonconverters), and 32 healthy controls (HC). SHFD, thickness, and LGI methodology allowed us to perform not only …
Interactions between saliva and flavour compounds
2016
Interactions between saliva and flavour compounds
Sterilization of macroscopic poly(l-lactic acid) porous scaffolds withdense carbon dioxide: Investigation of the spatial penetration of thetreatment …
2016
Abstract In this work the sterilization with dense carbon dioxide of poly( l -lactic acid) (PLLA) porous scaffolds intended for tissue engineering applications was investigated with the main objective of confirming the three-dimensional efficacy of the treatment and of analysing the scaffold properties after CO2 treatment. For this purpose the scaffold was contaminated with a conventional bacterium (Escherichia coli) and with spores (Streptomyces coelicolor), a species more fascinating and difficult to inactivate. Contamination was performed in such a way to soak the whole matrix with bacteria and spores. The effect of pressure and treatment time on the efficacy of the sterilization was eva…
Secondary Progression in Multiple Sclerosis: Neuronal Exhaustion or Distinct Pathology?
2016
Prevention of progression in neurological diseases, particularly in multiple sclerosis (MS) but also in neurodegenerative diseases, remains a significant challenge. MS patients switch from a relapsing-remitting to a progressive disease course, but it is not understood why and how this conversion occurs and why some patients never experience disease progression. Do aging and accumulation of neuronal damage induce progression, or do cognitive symptoms and accelerated grey matter (GM) atrophy point to distinct processes affecting networks? This review weighs accepted dogma against real data on the secondary progressive phase of the disease, highlighting current challenges in this important fie…
Effect of the inclusion of fresh lemon pulp in the diet of lactating ewes on the properties of milk and cheese
2017
This study investigated the effects of fresh lemon pulp (FLP), as a natural antioxidant in the diet, on the intake of feed and the production of milk and cheese of Valle del Belice lactating ewes during the hot summer in Sicily. A total of 15 second-lambing ewes, kept individually in 3 × 3 m pens, were divided into 3 homogeneous groups fed with 3 diets in a 3 × 3 Latin square design, with 3 experimental phases of 21 days each. The diets were: mixed hay ad libitum plus 600 g/day of concentrate (FLP0); mixed hay ad libitum plus 400 g/day of concentrate and 1 kg/day of FLP (FLP1); and mixed hay ad libitum plus 200 g/day of concentrate and 2 kg/day of FLP (FLP2). Nine experimental Pecorino chee…