Ames dwarf mice (df/df) display delayed aging relative to their normal (N) siblings, living approximately 40–60 % longer. As such, investigating the mechanisms that enable these organisms to have ...extended lifespan is useful for the development of interventions to slow aging and deter age-related disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition that is characterized by the accumulation of excess adipose tissue in the liver. Previous studies highlight the potential of calorie restriction (CR) in promoting longevity, but little is known about its effects on the biomolecular processes that govern NAFLD. In this study, we examined the role of 6-month CR on genes regulating lipid metabolism in the livers of long-living df/df mice and their N littermates. Importantly, our findings showed significant downregulation of miR-34a-5p in N-CR mice and df/df mice regardless of dietary regimen. Alongside, our RT-PCR results indicated that downregulation of miR-34a-5p is correlated with the expression of metabolism-associated mRNAs involved in modulating the processes of de novo lipogenesis (DNL), fatty acid oxidation (FAO), very-low density lipoprotein transport (VLDL-T), and reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). To further verify the role of miR-34a-5p in regulating metabolic processes, we transfected the human liver cancer (HepG2) cell line with miR-34a mimic, and studied its effect on direct targets Sirt1, Ampk, and Ppara as well as downstream lipid transport regulating genes. Our findings suggest that CR and df/df life extending mutation are robust drivers of the miR-34a-5p signaling pathway and prevent the pathogenesis of age-related diseases by improving overall lipid homeostasis.
•Calorie restriction downregulates miR-34a in the livers.•Calorie restriction and df/df genotype influence insulin signaling and fatty acid oxidation.•Calorie restriction and df/df genotype influence reverse cholesterol transport.•Calorie restriction influences VLDL transport in the Ames dwarf liver.
Abstract
This work aimed to evaluate the performance of modified vertical flow treatment wetlands (VF-TWs) in terms of depth and medium to assess the effect of the feeding/resting periods and ...footprint (FP). The modifications were proposed for treating domestic wastewater in rural areas with flow variations such as tourist sites. The experimental setup included six laboratory-scale VF-TWs: (a) normal (VF-N), bed depth 1.0 m, filled with sand and (b) modified (VF-M), bed depth 0.5 m, filled with sand (upper) and zeolite (bottom, saturated). The operation was divided into three phases (3 months each), varying the feeding/resting period and FP: phase I, 5 d/10 d, 2.6 m2/person-equivalent (PE); phase II, 3.5 d/3.5 d, 1.7 m2/PE; and phase III, only feeding no resting, 0.85 m2/PE. Influent and effluent grab samples were taken every 2 weeks. The results showed effective removal (above 60%) of total solids, organic matter, and pathogens for both VF-N and VF-M. Regarding nutrients, VF-M showed a phosphate removal below 60%, but no consistent removal (15–60%) of total nitrogen. Thus, the results suggest that proposed modifications can be an option to be established in tourist sites, but further work should be conducted to improve and optimize total nitrogen removal.
The aim of this research was to implement a methodology through the generation of a supervised classifier based on the Mahalanobis distance to characterize the grapevine canopy and assess leaf area ...and yield using RGB images. The method automatically processes sets of images, and calculates the areas (number of pixels) corresponding to seven different classes (Grapes, Wood, Background, and four classes of Leaf, of increasing leaf age). Each one is initialized by the user, who selects a set of representative pixels for every class in order to induce the clustering around them. The proposed methodology was evaluated with 70 grapevine (V. vinifera L. cv. Tempranillo) images, acquired in a commercial vineyard located in La Rioja (Spain), after several defoliation and de-fruiting events on 10 vines, with a conventional RGB camera and no artificial illumination. The segmentation results showed a performance of 92% for leaves and 98% for clusters, and allowed to assess the grapevine's leaf area and yield with R2 values of 0.81 (p < 0.001) and 0.73 (p = 0.002), respectively. This methodology, which operates with a simple image acquisition setup and guarantees the right number and kind of pixel classes, has shown to be suitable and robust enough to provide valuable information for vineyard management.
This work aimed to evaluate the ability of lipase extract powder obtained from Leonotis nepetifolia seed for enzyme-catalyzed biodiesel production using Leonotis nepetifolia oil, commercial olive ...oil, and waste cooking oil as substrates. The lipase extract powder showed an enzymatic activity and hydrolysis percentage of 24.7 U/g and 21.31%, respectively, using commercial olive oil as a reference. Transesterification reaction conditions were 40 g of substrate, 34 °C, molar ratio oil: methanol of 1:3, lipase extract powder 20 wt%, phosphates buffer (pH 4.8) 20 wt%, and a reaction time of 8 h. Transesterification yields of 74.5%, 71.5%, and 69.3% for commercial olive oil, waste cooking oil, and Leonotis nepetifolia oil were obtained, respectively. Biodiesel physicochemical parameters were analyzed and compared with the international standards: EN 14214 (European Union) and ASTM D6751 (American Society for Testing and Materials). The biodiesel’s moisture and volatile matter percentages, iodine index, cooper strip corrosion, and methyl esters content conformed to the standards’ specifications. The fatty acid methyl ester content of the vegetable oils showed the presence of methyl oleate after enzyme-catalyzed transesterification. This study reveals that biodiesel production catalyzed by lipase extract powder from Leonotis nepetifolia could be a viable alternative, showing that transesterification yields competitive results.
AbstractThe reasons that drive construction companies to innovate, as well as the processes they use, have not yet been fully explored in the construction management literature. This paper describes ...the “hows” and “whys” behind the push for innovation in a construction company. The research method is founded on the validation of a model developed by a case study; this is focused on a medium-sized construction company which implemented and certified an innovation management system, as established by a Spanish standard. The studies conducted by the authors over a five-year period generated a set of 18 propositions reflecting an explanatory model of innovation management. This paper reports on the external validation of this model by means of a set of interviews; the results fully corroborate 15 of these propositions. The strongest drivers of innovation in construction companies are technical problems in construction projects, client requirements, and upper management. Innovation opportunities are identified as a result of examination of the internal processes of the company, the construction projects, and the environment. Identifying, developing, and transferring an innovative solution require the implementation of technological watch and knowledge management in the organization. Finally, the research concludes that the main benefit of innovation management is an increase in the company’s technical capability, whereas the two main barriers to innovation are the prioritization of production processes and the lack of support from the leaders of the company.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, FGGLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This research aims to bridge the information gap pertaining to the utilization of building information modeling (BIM) in steel building projects. Therefore, a systematic literature review (SLR) was ...conducted to synthesize the available uses. This research involved three phases—planning, execution, and reporting—according to the PRISMA guide, which includes the main aspects of identification, screening, and eligibility. As a result of the SLR, it is evident how and where BIM facilitates steel building projects, which were grouped into three different categories according to their main BIM topics. One of the uses that stands out as a common denominator across the different processes is “early integration”. Early integration allows for optimization of the design based on existing resources, directly affecting the cost and time of steel building projects in a positive manner.
This study aims to design a BIM integration model for steel building projects (BIM-DFE). It was developed in the following three phases: (i) theoretical phase, (ii) validation phase, and (iii) ...statistical analysis for the theoretical phase. A literature review was conducted to study the applications of BIM in steel building projects and to develop an integrated BIM process map for the construction lifecycle of steel buildings. Subsequently, in the validation phase, 32 participants were invited to complete a two-round Delphi questionnaire to validate the BIM-DFE proposal. The participants were classified according to their knowledge level (skilled or expert). Based on the literature review, a process map that integrates BIM in different phases of a steel building project was created. In the first round of the Delphi questionnaire for the validation phase, the various groups studied (skilled vs. expert) were in moderate agreement with the BIM-DFE proposal; however, after the second round, this agreement became better. Therefore, this study contributes to the current body of knowledge by providing a BIM integration model to improve the management of steel building projects as defined by critical stakeholders in the steel industry. In addition, a real-time case is presented to elucidate a part of the research contribution.
La presencia de un nuevo coronavirus se propagó de manera inesperada alrededor de todo el mundo, desencadenando una crisis mundial sin precedentes. Ya para el año 2020, habían más de 7,9 millones de ...casos, y 434.796 muertes, en más de 200 países. En ese momento, se implementaron medidas de aislamiento y distanciamiento social en todo el mundo para contener el acelerado propagación de covid-19; entre las consecuencias, las clínicas dentales, se cerraron temporalmente y se suspendió la atención dental electiva, lo que conllevó a un aumento en el desarrollo de enfermedades bucodentales. Con relación a los niños y jóvenes, hubo un aumento en este tipo de enfermedades. Los niños se vieron obligados a pasar la mayor parte de su tiempo en el hogar con la adquisición de hábitos alimentarios incorrectos, ingesta de refrescos y bebidas energéticas que, además de contener altas cantidades de azúcares, su contenido ácido produce erosión dental y hace que el esmalte tejido menos resistente al ataque de bacterias cariogénicas. En este trabajo se analizó una población de 96 niños en edad escolar durante un periodo de dos años de 2020 al 2022. Los resultados mostraron que 100% de los escolares presentaron caries dentales al momento de su evaluación en enero 2022, mientras que 47% del total presentaron dientes obturados y el 64% del total de casos, perdieron algunas de sus piezas dentales. Estos resultados son, posiblemente, debido al desconocimiento de los escolares sobre la higiene para la prevención de las caries dental y sus consecuencias, siendo la más perjudicial la pérdida prematura de dientes temporales, lo que hace necesario implementar programas sobre la promoción y prevención en la salud bucodental en escolares, docentes, y padres y representantes.
This work compares the performance of vertical subsurface flow treatment wetlands (VSSF TWs) for wastewater treatment, planted with Zantedeschia aethiopica (Za), here operated simultaneously under ...two different climate conditions, arid and Mediterranean. The experimental setup was divided into two treatment lines for each climate condition: three VSSF TWs planted with Schoenplectus californicus (Sc) (VSSF-S), as the control, and three VSSF TWs planted with Zantedeschia aethiopica (Za) (VSSF-Z), as the experimental unit. The four treatment systems were operated at a hydraulic loading rate of 120 mm/d during spring and summer seasons, in two locations, Iquique (Atacama Desert, Chile) and Talca (Central Valley, Chile). The water quality in effluents, plant development, and water balance were used as performance measures. In terms of the water quality, the influents’ characteristics were similar in both climates and classified as “diluted”. For the effluents, in both climate conditions, average COD and TSS effluent concentrations were below 50 mg/L and 15 mg/L, respectively. In both climate conditions, average TN and TP effluent concentrations were below 40 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively. Furthermore, only total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in effluents to VSSF-Z had a significant effect (p < 0.05) in relation to the climate condition. Regarding plant development, Za showed a lower height growth in both climate conditions, with arid consistently 0.3 m and Mediterranean decreasing from 0.6 m to 0.2 m. However, the physiological conditions of the leaves (measured by chlorophyll content) were not affected during operation time in both climates. Water balance showed that it was not influenced by the climate conditions or plant, with water loss differences below 5%. Therefore, taking into account the water quality and water balance results, Zantedeschia aethiopica can be used in VSSF TWs in a way similar to traditional plants under arid and Mediterranean climates. However, its use has to be carefully considered because lower height could affect the esthetics for its implementation in the VSSF TWs.
An image analysis algorithm for the classification of cherries in real time by processing their digitalized colour images was developed, and tested. A set of five digitalized images of colour ...pattern, corresponding to five colour classes defined for commercial cherries, was characterized. The algorithm performs the segmentation of the cheery image by rejecting the pixels of the background and keeping the image features corresponding to the coloured area of the fruit. A histogram analysis was carried out for the RGB and HSV colour spaces, where the Red and Hue components showed differences between each of the specified colour patterns of the exporting reference system. This information led to the development of a hybrid Bayesian classification algorithm based on the components R and H. Its accuracy was tested with a set of cherry samples within the colour range of interest. The algorithm was implemented by means of a real time C++ code in Microsoft Visual Studio environment. When testing, the algorithm showed a 100% effectiveness in classifying a sample set of cherries into the five standardized cherry classes. The components of the hardware-software system for implementing the methodology are low cost, thus ensuring an affordable commercial deployment.
PDF
