Search results for "Plate"

The endemic vascular flora of Peloritani Mountains (NE Sicily): Plant functional traits and phytogeographical relationships in the most isolated and …

2014

This study is aimed at (1) producing a complete and updated inventory of the endemic vascular flora of Peloritani Mountains, (2) defining the geographical limits of Peloritani, regarded here as a biogeographical district and (3) highlighting possible paleogeographic connections with other Mediterranean lands. The heterogeneity analysis of the endemic flora was performed by means of contingency tables, through the x 2 test. The endemic flora of this area consists of 129 specific and infraspecific taxa, of which 15 are restricted to the Peloritani Mountains. The analysis of habitats revealed that endemic taxa are most abundant on cliffs, rangelands, woods and garrigues. A large number of surv…

Olive agroforestry systems in Sicily: Cultivated typologies and secondary succession processes after abandonment

2011

The first part of this study provides an overview on Sicilian olive systems. Subsequently, the study describes the different typologies of cultivated agroforestry systems present in South-Eastern Sicily employing olive trees in association with other Mediterranean tree species, in particular for the production of firewood, coal and animal food (downy or pubescent oak, holm oak, cork oak), but also in association with forage or grazing species (oat, barley, vetch, etc.) or cereals. The study shows that Sicilian agroforestry systems are much more diversified than it was known so far. In the second part, the study describes the spontaneous colonization processes by plants, observed in abandone…

Free vibrations of anisotropic panels

2004

A meshfree approach, called Displacement Boundary Method, for the analysis of in-plane and out-of-plane free vibrations of anisotropic plates is presented. The discretization process is based on the use of a modified variational principle and the static fundamental solutions of the problem operators. The stiffness and mass matrices are frequencyindependent, symmetric and positive definite and their computation requires boundary integrations of regular kernels only. Thus, the final resolving system can be solved with classical approaches by using standard numerical procedures. Numerical results are presented to show the accuracy and effectiveness of the method.

Identification of the NO Synthase isoforms Expressed in Human Neutrophil Granulocytes, Megakaryocytes and Platelets

1997

SummaryUsing Western blot and fluorescent immunocytochemistry, NOS III (or ecNOS) and NOS II (or iNOS), but no NOS I (or ncNOS), were identified in preparations of human platelets. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) demonstrated NOS III mRNA, but no NOS II mRNA (which is short-lived) and no NOS I mRNA in platelets. Immunofluorescent staining of human bone marrow smears showed the presence of NOS III, but not NOS I in megakaryocytes. A subpopulation of megakaryocytes also expressed NOS II. In preparations of human neutrophils, immunocytochemistry demonstrated NOS I in all cells, whereas no NOS III was detected. The few NOS II positive cells were characterized as contam…

Fabrication of Metal Oxide Nano-structured electrodes by Template Electrosynthesis

2010

Synthesis of huge macrocycles using two calix[4]arenes as templates.

2005

Macrocycles with up to 100 atoms have been synthesised using two calix[4]arenes as templates: first, (3,5-dialkenyloxy)phenyl groups are attached to the wide rim of a calix[4]arene via urea links, then the alkenyl groups are connected via a metathesis reaction using a tetratosylurea calix[4]arene for their correct prearrangement and finally the urea functions are cleaved to detach the newly formed macrocycles.

Geochemistry and mineralogy of sediments and authigenic carbonates from the Malta Plateau, Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean): Relationships wi…

2010

Abstract A mud volcano field was recently discovered within the Malta Plateau in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea). Box-core sediments and associated authigenic carbonates have been collected in water depths of 140–170 m from two distinctive sectors of the area, and analyzed for major, trace and rare earth elements, stable isotopes, and mineralogy. Relative homogeneity in the mineralogy and geochemistry of bulk sediments, and 210Pb activity distributions, argue against an active mud ejection activity. In the Malta Plateau western sector, the sediments show high concentrations of Fe, As, Sb, and Mo, exceeding the background values estimated for the Strait of Sicily. Active flu…

Platform GenoSol: a new tool for conserving and exploring soil microbial diversity

2009

International audience; Soils are the principal reservoirs of microbial diversity and represent a core component of terrestrial ecosystems. There is an increasing demand for assessing the impact of agricultural and industrial practices on the environment at large scales in a context of global change. To address this demand, taxonomic and functional diversity of soil microbial communities, and their stability over time need to be characterized for predicting soil quality upon human activities, the evolution of this quality being expected to affect environment quality and public health. Recent methodological progresses have led to the development and automation of molecular biological tools (…

Biofilm development by potentially pathogenic non-pigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria

2008

Abstract Background A study to evaluate the biofilm-development ability in three different media (Middlebrook 7H9, sterile tap water and PBS-5% glucose) was performed with 19 collection strains from 15 different species on non-pigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria (NPRGM). A microtiter plate assay was developed to evaluate the percentage of covered surface of the microtiter plate wells in different days from day 1 to day 69. Results All strains were able to develop biofilm in all the tested media. Middlebrook 7H9 showed the fastest growth, followed by sterile tap water and PBS-5% glucose. A sigmoid growth curve was detected in all the strains both in Middlebrook 7H9 and in sterile tap wate…

Role of hematopoietic cells in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

2021

Tuberculosis remains one of the most significant causes of mortality worldwide and the current situation shows a re-emergence of TB due to the emergence of new antibiotic-resistant strains and the widespread of disease caused by immunodeficiencies. For these reasons, a big effort is made to improve the therapeutic strategies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and to perform new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies. This review analyzes the various hematopoietic populations, their role and the different changes they undergo during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection or disease. We have examined the population of lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils and platelets, in orderto und…