Finding a new use for abandoned buildings provides an opportunity for urban and rural regeneration as reconversion policies arrest decay processes and re-establish continuity in the territorial ...system, using existing buildings and thus limiting the consumption of new soil. This study combines quantitative stakeholders' analysis with Decision Aiding tools to design and evaluate alternative strategies for the regeneration of an abandoned military barrack in Italy. In particular, the paper details how the collaborative decision support process developed from the initial map of the local needs to the final assessment of five different regeneration projects. The main objective of the study is to develop a transferable framework able to support collaborative planning and decision-making processes related to urban regeneration transformations. The contribution brought by the study is twofold and refers to: (i) the development of an inclusive final recommendation based on the innovative integration of Multi Attribute Value Theory with quantitative stakeholders' analysis and (ii) the provision of a replicable working tool for policy makers and urban regeneration specialists. The study has thus an innovative value and may stimulate a cross-disciplinary use of behavioral decision analysis to support a value-based generation and evaluation of alternative solutions in complex multi-actor decision making settings.
•The study bridges urban planning, decisions science and behavioral science.•The proposed method supports both the divergent and the convergent thinking phases.•The integrated approach is exemplified with a urban regeneration intervention.•Decision aiding tools are used to innovatively design alternative solutions.•Quantitative stakeholders' analysis successfully complements decision aiding.
The objective of this work was to study the influence of some process conditions on the microencapsulation of flaxseed oil by spray drying. The process was carried out on a mini spray dryer and gum ...Arabic was used as wall material. Seventeen tests were made, according to a central composite design. Independent variables were: inlet air temperature (138–202°C), total solid content (10–30% w/w) and oil concentration with respect to total solids (10–30% w/w). Encapsulation efficiency, lipid oxidation and powder bulk density were analyzed as responses. Powder morphology and particle size distribution were also analyzed. The feed emulsions were characterized with respect to droplet size and viscosity. Higher solid content and lower oil concentration led to higher encapsulation efficiency and lower lipid oxidation, which was related to the higher emulsion viscosity and lower droplets size. Increasing drying temperature resulted in higher lipid oxidation. Bulk density increased when higher solid content and lower inlet air temperature were used. The particles were rounded and shriveled, and their mean diameter was mainly affected by total solid content.
Transcription is a source of genetic instability that can notably result from the formation of genotoxic DNA:RNA hybrids, or R-loops, between the nascent mRNA and its template. Here we report an ...unexpected function for introns in counteracting R-loop accumulation in eukaryotic genomes. Deletion of endogenous introns increases R-loop formation, while insertion of an intron into an intronless gene suppresses R-loop accumulation and its deleterious impact on transcription and recombination in yeast. Recruitment of the spliceosome onto the mRNA, but not splicing per se, is shown to be critical to attenuate R-loop formation and transcription-associated genetic instability. Genome-wide analyses in a number of distant species differing in their intron content, including human, further revealed that intron-containing genes and the intron-richest genomes are best protected against R-loop accumulation and subsequent genetic instability. Our results thereby provide a possible rationale for the conservation of introns throughout the eukaryotic lineage.
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•Introns prevent R-loop and DNA damage accumulation on highly expressed yeast genes•Insertion of an intron in an R-loop-prone gene attenuates R-loop formation•Spliceosome-dependent mRNP assembly, but not splicing, prevents R-loop formation•The role of introns in R-loop prevention has been conserved from yeasts to human
By combining the genetic manipulation of intron content with genome-wide analyses in both yeasts and human cells, Bonnet et al. reveal a function for introns in counteracting DNA:RNA hybrid (R-loop) formation and its deleterious impact on genetic stability.
Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of a novel microencapsulation procedure using whey protein and pectin to improve the survival rate of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL 1505 to low pH and bile. Methods and ...Results: Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL 1505 was encapsulated by ionotropic gelation using pectin (PE) and pectin–whey protein (PE–WP). Both types of beads (MCPE/WP and MCPE–WP/WP) were covered with a layer of whey protein by complex coacervation. The noncapsulated lactobacilli were not sensitive to bile salts but to acid. Both microparticles protected Lact. rhamnosus CRL 1505 at pH 2·0, but only MCPE/WP was effective at pH 1·2. Conclusions: The combination of ionotropic gelation and complex coacervation techniques is efficient to obtain microcapsules of pectin covered with whey proteins. The MCPE/WP beads were more stable than the MCPE–WP/WP beads in simulated gastric conditions, thus offering better protection to Lact. rhamnosus CRL 1505 at low pH. Significance and Impact of the Study: Pectin beads with a whey protein layer (MCPE/WP) could be used as probiotic carrier in functional foods of low pH (e.g. apple juice), thus protecting Lact. rhamnosus CRL 1505 against the stressful conditions of the gastric tract.
Sterility testing is a laborious and slow process to detect contaminants present in drug products. Raman spectroscopy is a promising label-free tool to detect microorganisms and thus gaining ...relevance as a future alternative culture-free method for sterility testing in the pharmaceutical industry. However, reaching detection limits similar to standard procedures while keeping a high accuracy remains challenging, due to weak bacterial Raman signals. In this work, we show a new non-invasive approach focusing on detection of different bacteria in concentrations below 100 CFU per ml within drug product containers using Raman spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis. Even though Raman spectra from drug product with and without bacteria are similar, a partial least squared discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model shows great performance to distinguish samples with bacterial contaminants in concentrations down to 10 CFU per ml. We used spiked samples with bacterial spores for model validation achieving a detection accuracy of 99%. Our results indicate the great potential of this rapid, and cost-effective approach to be used in quality control in the pharmaceutical industry.
Fast and non-invasive approach to detect drug product (DP) samples with low numbers of bacteria within the primary packaging. The method combines Raman spectroscopy and partial least squared discriminant analysis (RS-PLS-DA).
We performed a combined secondary electron yield (SEY) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study as a function of the electron dose and energy on a Cu technical surface representative of the LHC ...accelerator walls. The electron bombardment is accompanied by a clear chemical modification, indicating an increased graphitization as the SEY decreases. The decrease in the SEY is also found to depend significantly on the kinetic energy of the primary electrons. When low-energy primary electrons are employed (E≤20 eV), the reduction of the SEY is slower and smaller in magnitude than when higher-energy electrons are used. Consequences of this observation are discussed mainly for their relevance on the commissioning scenario for the LHC in operation at CERN (Geneva), but are expected to be of interest for other research fields.
A 1.5-year-old male neutered, 5 kg, Dachshund was referred for anorexia and vomiting for several days' duration. Radiographs revealed concern for a small intestinal obstruction. Ultrasonography ...revealed a severely distended segment of jejunum containing echogenic fluid that abruptly narrowed, twisted, and transitioned into normal jejunum, along with the presence of a distinct "whirl sign" that resulted from the intestinal segments twisting around themselves. This, in addition to the absence of flow on power Doppler interrogation, was compatible with a focal jejunal torsion-volvulus. The torsion-volvulus was surgically confirmed, a resection and anastomosis was performed, and the dog recovered uneventfully.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To describe the feasibility and technique for performing laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) of the liver in dogs.
ANIMALS
12 client-owned dogs presenting for elective laparoscopic ...surgery from January 1, 2022, to October 31, 2022.
METHODS
Laparoscopic exploration and LUS of the liver were performed in all dogs. Dogs were positioned in reverse Trendelenburg and laterally rotated to facilitate access to all liver lobes. Time to perform laparoscopic exploration and LUS, ability to visualize and access each liver lobe entirely, and any complications were recorded. Each dog underwent an elective laparoscopic procedure. The surgeon completed a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire after surgery.
RESULTS
Mean body weight was 25.9 kg (SD, ± 4.1 kg; range, 5.7 to 62 kg). All liver lobes were scanned to the level of the hilus in 10/12 dogs. In 2 dogs, the caudate lobe could not be completely imaged. Median time to perform LUS was 9 minutes (IQR, 5 to 16.5 minutes), and median NASA-TLX score was 9/100 (IQR, 6.3 to 20). There was a significantly strong negative correlation between time to perform LUS (
r
= −0.77;
P
= .0037) and NASA-TLX score (
r
= −0.84;
P
= .0006) with trial number. Minor complications occurred in 2 dogs during laparoscopic exploration. No complications occurred during LUS.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
LUS was feasible and safe in all dogs. The right lateral and caudate lobes were occasionally challenging to access. Technical demand and time to perform LUS improved with experience, suggesting a learning curve. Evaluation of LUS in dogs with clinical disease is warranted.
The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the type of wall material and the oil load on the microencapsulation of flaxseed oil by spray drying. Gum arabic, whey protein concentrate, ...and a modified starch were used to produce the microcapsules, each with four oil concentrations (10, 20, 30, and 40% oil, w/w, with respect to total solids), for a total of 12 tests. Initially, the feed emulsions were characterized for stability, viscosity, and droplet size. Then they were dried in a laboratory-scale spray dryer and the resulting particles were analyzed for encapsulation efficiency, lipid oxidation, moisture content, and bulk density. The increase in oil concentration led to the production of emulsions with larger droplets and lower viscosity, which directly affected powder properties, resulting in lower encapsulation efficiency and higher lipid oxidation. Among the three wall materials evaluated, the modified starch showed the best performance, with the highest encapsulation efficiency and lowest peroxide values.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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