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AISI 316 L stainless steel is widely used as material to produce components by means of additive manufacturing. To increase the circular economy, the powders are collected and re-used after the printing process, thus the effect of powder recycling on microstructure and properties of printed components is of the utmost importance. This work focused the attention on non-metallic inclusions by examining virgin and recycled powders, and products printed by using both types of powders in a laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process.Recycled powders exhibit an irregular shape due to fragmentation, spatters and satellites and, compared to the virgin ones, have a higher gas (O, H and C) content. Both powders contain non-metallic inclusions with a larger quantity in the recycled ones.The printed samples have a similar microstructure, however those produced by using recycled powders exhibit voids of larger size and a little greater amount of inclusions. XRD and EDS examinations of inclusions extracted from the metallic matrix showed that they consist of a mix of amorphous and crystalline silica. Large part of these particles are already present in virgin powders and only a minor part forms during repeated printing operations. Accordingly, the quality of virgin powders is the factor that mainly affects the inclusion content of printed products indicating that the powder production process is the most critical stage of the whole manufacturing process.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the hormesis effect of sub-doses of dichlorophenoxy acetic acid herbicide and the plant growth regulator mepiquat chloride on the vegetative and productive characteristics of two cotton cultivars (FMT 701 and Fibermax 966). The experiment was conducted from November 2013 to May 2014. The experimental design was a randomized block in a factorial scheme 6 x 2 x 2, with four replications, totaling 96 installments with 24 treatments: the witness and five sub-doses of the herbicide 2,4-D: 0.68, 1.36, 2.04, 2.72 and 3.40 g equivalent acid (e.a) per ha, with and without application of mepiquat chloride at a dose of 200 mL ha-1 in the cotton cultivars FMT 701 and Fibermax 966. The sub-doses applied were 2,4-D at 45 days after the emergence of the plant (DAE), and the growth regulator was applied at 70 DAE. It was found that the use of the growth regulator (mepiquat chloride) at a dose of 200 mL ha-1 was effective in controlling plant development relative to its variable height. The application of sub-doses of 2,4-D up to 1.75 g e.a ha-1 provides increased seed cotton productivity FMT 701 and Fibermax 966). The cultivar FMT 701 got greater plant height, stem diameter, number of reproductive branches, bolls per plant and seed cotton productivity compared to the cultivar Fibermax 966.

O nitrogênio é o nutriente mais absorvido pelo algodoeiro, sendo que uma das principais formas de armazenamento nas plantas envolve ureídeos e arginina, o que torna o níquel (componente da metaloenzima urease) essencial para o metabolismo e eficiência da utilização do nitrogênio pelo algodoeiro. Dessa forma o presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a resposta do algodoeiro FMT-701 submetido a doses combinadas de nitrogênio e níquel. O experimento foi desenvolvido em condições de casa de vegetação, sendo conduzido em vasos de 5 dm-3 contendo Latossolo Vermelho Distrófico. Foi utilizado o delineamento de blocos inteiramente casualizado disposto em esquema fatorial 4 x 4, sendo 4 doses de nitrogênio (0, 40, 80, e 120 kg ha-1) e 4 doses de níquel (0, 50, 150, e 300 g ha-1), totalizando 16 tratamentos em triplicata. O índice SPAD de clorofila foi monitorado aos 1, 2, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40 e 48 dias após a aplicação da ureia. O níquel não apresentou nenhum efeito no aumento no índice de clorofila. Por outro lado, o efeito da aplicação de ureia no índice de clorofila foi significativo aos 40 e 48 dias após a aplicação. O intervalo entre 45 a 90 kg ha-1 de nitrogênio proporcionou maiores leituras de clorofila, sendo que as doses de níquel não influenciaram no índice de clorofila. Assim, pode-se inferir que não é necessário a aplicação de doses acima de 60 kg ha-1 de nitrogênio, o que significa uma economia de fertilizante nitrogenado. O índice de clorofila correlacionou-se positivamente com o teor de nitrogênio nas folhas, mas não com os teores foliares de níquel. O índice clorofila aumentou ao longo do ciclo da cultura independente dos tratamentos. A estimativa do teor de clorofila foi promissora para detecção de possíveis deficiências de nitrogênio em plantas de algodão.

O trabalho objetivou avaliar o efeito da utilização de plantas de cobertura em semeadura direta e da aplicação de nitrogênio em pré-semeadura do algodoeiro, nas alterações dos atributos físicos do solo e desenvolvimento de plantas do algodoeiro. O delineamento experimental empregado foi o de blocos ao acaso, disposto em faixas, compostos por: três plantas de cobertura (nabo forrageiro, aveia preta e aveia branca) implantadas no período do inverno; quatro doses de nitrogênio (0, 30, 60, e 90 kg ha-1 de N). Foram determinadas a resistência do solo à penetração, umidade gravimétrica, altura e número de nós das plantas de algodoeiro. O uso de aveia preta proporcionou aumento da umidade superficial do solo enquanto que o nabo forrageiro proporcionou aumento da umidade em profundidade. A utilização de culturas de cobertura não alterou a resistência do solo à penetração. A utilização de doses crescentes de nitrogênio em pre-semeadura do algodoeiro proporcionou aumento em altura e do número de nós por planta.

Há fortes evidências de deficiência de selênio (Se) em solos, forragens e produtos agrícolas do Brasil. A faixa de deficiência de Se em solos varia de 100 a 600 µg kg-1, no entanto, os valores máximos encontrados, na maioria dos casos, em solos agricultáveis foram aproximadamente 210 µg kg-1. A variação genotípica das culturas para acumular Se nas partes comestíveis depende do seu teor no solo e a escolha da variedade ou cultivar com maior capacidade de absorção e acúmulo de Se pode contribuir para melhorar a qualidade dos alimentos. O Brasil possui fortes evidências de deficiência de Se na população, no entanto, nenhuma pesquisa abrangente ao nível do país sobre o assunto está disponível. Além disso, a biofortificação com Se em produtos agrícolas não faz parte do Programa HarvestPlus do Brasil. É necessário mais pesquisas relacionadas ao teor de Se no solo em diferentes estados brasileiros. Em áreas onde a biodisponibilidade de Se é baixa, uma alternativa eficiente é a suplementação de Se por meio de fertilizantes para aplicação via solo ou foliar, o que corrige os baixos níveis de Se nas pastagens, animais e humanos, como o ocorreu com sucesso na Finlândia, Nova Zelândia e Austrália.

O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido na região de Selvíria (MS) e teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de diferentes doses e épocas de aplicação de N sobre o teor de clorofila e de N nas folhas do feijoeiro, bem como estabelecer correlações com a produtividade. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 3 x 5, constituído pela combinação de três épocas de aplicação (15, 30 e 15 + 30 dias após a emergência) do fertilizante nitrogenado (uréia) em cobertura e em cinco doses (0; 35; 70; 105 e 140 kg ha-1 de N). Avaliaram-se os teores de clorofila e N das folhas no florescimento pleno e a produtividade. A concentração de clorofila correlacionou-se positivamente com o teor de N nas folhas e com a produtividade de grãos, e o medidor portátil de clorofila mostrou-se promissor para avaliar o estado nutricional do nitrogênio no feijoeiro.The effect of N applications (time and rates) on chlorophyll and N contents in bean leaves was evaluated and correlations among them and with the yield established. Carried out in the Selvíria region, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, the experiment was set up in a completely randomized block design in a factorial 3 x 5 scheme. Treatments consisted in the combination of N (urea) application by side dressing at five levels (0, 35, 70, 105, and 140 kg ha-1 of N) at three times (15, 30, and 15 + 30 days after plant emergence). Chlorophyll and N contents in leaves during the full flowering period were determined, as well as yields. All data were correlated to each other and to the N levels. The chlorophyll content presented a positive correlation with N leaf contents and with grain production. The portable chlorophyll meter proved its suitability as a tool to assess the nutritional state of N in bean plants.

ABSTRACT Antibiotic tolerance within a biofilm community presents a serious public health challenge. Here, we report the identification of a 2-aminoimidazole derivative that inhibits biofilm formation by two pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria, Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus aureus. In S. mutans, the compound binds to VicR, a key response regulator, at the N-terminal receiver domain, and concurrently inhibits expression of vicR and VicR-regulated genes, including the genes that encode the key biofilm matrix producing enzymes, Gtfs. The compound inhibits S. aureus biofilm formation via binding to a Staphylococcal VicR homolog. In addition, the inhibitor effectively attenuates S. mutans virulence in a rat model of dental caries. As the compound targets bacterial biofilms and virulence through a conserved transcriptional factor, it represents a promising new class of anti-infective agents that can be explored to prevent or treat a host of bacterial infections. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic resistance is a major public health issue due to the growing lack of effective anti-infective therapeutics. New alternatives to treat and prevent biofilm-driven microbial infections, which exhibit high tolerance to clinically available antibiotics, are urgently needed. We report the identification of a small molecule that inhibits biofilm formation by two important pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria, Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus aureus. The small molecule selectively targets a transcriptional regulator leading to attenuation of a biofilm regulatory cascade and concurrent reduction of bacterial virulence in vivo. As the regulator is highly conserved, the finding has broad implication for the development of antivirulence therapeutics that selectively target biofilms.

Abstract  A model is presented for predicting the capture of magnetic micro/nano-particles in a bioseparation microsystem. This bioseparator consists of an array of conductive elements embedded beneath a rectangular microfluidic channel. The magnetic particles are introduced into the microchannel in solution, and are attracted and held by the magnetic force produced by the energized elements. Analytical expressions are obtained for the dominant magnetic and fluidic forces on the particles as they move through the microchannel. These expressions are included in the equations of motion, which are solved numerically to predict particle trajectories and capture time. This model is well-suited for parametric analysis of particle capture taking into account variations in particle size, material properties, applied current, microchannel dimensions, fluid properties, and flow velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Considering the challenges posed by nitrogen (N) pollution and its impact on food security and sustainability, it is crucial to develop management techniques that optimize N fertilization in croplands. Our research intended to explore the potential benefits of co-inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and Bacillus subtilis combined with N application rates on corn plants. The study focused on evaluating corn photosynthesis-related parameters, oxidative stress assay, and physiological nutrient use parameters. Focus was placed on the eventual improved capacity of plants to recover N from applied fertilizers (AFR) and enhance N use efficiency (NUE) during photosynthesis. The two-year field trial involved four seed inoculation treatments (control, A. brasilense, B. subtilis, and A. brasilense + B. subtilis) and five N application rates (0 to 240 kg N ha -1, applied as side-dress)., Results: Our results suggested that the combined effects of microbial consortia and adequate N-application rates played a crucial role in N-recovery; enhanced NUE; increased N accumulation, leaf chlorophyll index (LCI), and shoot and root growth; consequently improving corn grain yield. The integration of inoculation and adequate N rates upregulated CO 2 uptake and assimilation, transpiration, and water use efficiency, while downregulated oxidative stress., Conclusions: The results indicated that the optimum N application rate could be reduced from 240 to 175 kg N ha -1 while increasing corn yield by 5.2%. Furthermore, our findings suggest that replacing 240 by 175 kg N ha -1 of N fertilizer (-65 kg N ha -1 ) with microbial consortia would reduce CO 2 emission by 682.5 kg CO 2   -e ha -1 . Excessive N application, mainly with the presence of beneficial bacteria, can disrupt N-balance in the plant, alter soil and bacteria levels, and ultimately affect plant growth and yield. Hence, highlighting the importance of adequate N management to maximize the benefits of inoculation in agriculture and to counteract N loss from agricultural systems intensification., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cerium oxide powders are widely used and are of fundamental importance in catalytic pollution control and energy production due to the unique chemical properties of CeO 2 . Processing steps involved in catalyst preparation, such as high-temperature calcination or mechanical milling processes, can alter the morphological and chemical properties of ceria, heavily affecting its final properties. Here, we focus on the tuning of CeO 2 nanopowder properties by mild- and high-energy milling processes, as the mechanochemical synthesis is gaining increasing attention as a green synthesis method for catalyst production. The textural and redox properties were analyzed by an array of techniques to follow the aggregation and comminution mechanisms induced by mechanical stresses, which are more prominent under high-energy conditions but strongly depend on the starting properties of the ceria powders. Simultaneously, the evolution of surface defects and chemical properties was followed by Raman spectroscopy and H 2 reduction tests, ultimately revealing a trade-off effect between structural and redox properties induced by the mechanochemical action. The mild-energy process appears to induce the largest enhancement in surface properties while maintaining bulk properties of the starting materials, hence confirming its effectiveness for its exploitation in catalysis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Introduction: Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPBs) could be developed as a sustainable strategy to promote plant growth and yield to feed the ever-growing global population with nutritious food. Foliar application of nano-zinc oxide (ZnO) is an environmentally safe strategy that alleviates zinc (Zn) malnutrition by improving biochemical attributes and storage proteins of grain., Methods: In this context, the current study aimed to investigate the combined effect of seed inoculation with PGPBs and foliar nano-ZnO application on the growth, biochemical attributes, nutrient metabolism, and yield of maize in the tropical savannah of Brazil. The treatments consisted of four PGPB inoculations [i.e., without inoculation , Azospirillum brasilense ( A. brasilense ) , Bacillus subtilis ( B. subtilis ) , Pseudomonas fluorescens ( P. fluorescens ), which was applied on the seeds] and two doses of Zn (i.e., 0 and 3 kg ha -1 , applied from nano-ZnO in two splits on the leaf)., Results: Inoculation of B. subtilis with foliar ZnO application increased shoot dry matter (7.3 and 9.8%) and grain yield (17.1 and 16.7%) in 2019-20 and 2020-2021 crop seasons respectively. Inoculation with A. brasilense increased 100-grains weight by 9.5% in both crop seasons. Shoot Zn accumulation was improved by 30 and 51% with inoculation of P. fluorescens in 2019-20 and 2020-2021 crop seasons. Whereas grain Zn accumulation was improved by 49 and 50.7% with inoculation of B. subtilis and P. fluorescens respectively. In addition, biochemical attributes (chlorophyll a, b and total, carotenoids, total soluble sugar and amino acids) were improved with inoculation of B. subtilis along with foliar nano ZnO application as compared to other treatments. Co-application of P. fluorescens with foliar ZnO improved concentration of grains albumin (20 and 13%) and globulin (39 and 30%). Also, co-application of B. subtilis and foliar ZnO improved concentration of grains glutelin (8.8 and 8.7%) and prolamin (15 and 21%) in first and second seasons., Discussion: Therefore, inoculation of B. subtilis and P. fluorescens with foliar nano-ZnO application is considered a sustainable and environmentally safe strategy for improving the biochemical, metabolic, nutritional, and productivity attributes of maize in tropical Savannah regions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jalal, Oliveira, Bastos, Fernandes, de Lima, Furlani Junior, de Carvalho, Galindo, Gato and Teixeira Filho.)

Background: Since late 2019, a severe acute respiratory syndrome, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread with overwhelming speed causing over 214 million confirmed infections and more than 4.5 million deaths worldwide. In this framework, Italy had the second highest number of SARS-CoV-2 infections worldwide, and the largest number of deaths. A global effort of both the scientific community and governments has been undertaken to stem the pandemic. The aim of this paper is to perform a narrative review of the Italian contribution to the scientific literature regarding intensive care management of patients suffering from COVID-19, being one of the first western countries to face an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection., Main Body: We performed a narrative review of the literature, dedicating particular attention and a dedicated paragraph to ventilatory support management, chest imaging findings, biomarkers, possible pharmacological interventions, bacterial superinfections, prognosis and non-clinical key aspects such as communication and interaction with relatives., Conclusions: Many colleagues, nurses and patients died leaving their families alone. To all of them, we send our thoughts and dedicate these pages., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Growth traits, yield, N content, photosynthetic pigments, ammonia and amino acids were measured to verify the effect of the interaction between N, Ni, and 2,4-D applied in the cotton crop. The objective was to study the hormonal effect of 2,4-D associated with the application of N and Ni in coverage to improve yield. The N (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg ha -1 ) and Ni(0, 300, 450, and 600 g ha -1 ) were applied to the soil in the square phenological growth stage. The commercial 2,4-D DMA® BR (0 and 1.8 g a.e ha -1 ) was applied to the leaves at the same growth stage. The supply of N in cover fertilization up to 120 kg ha -1 was beneficial for cotton, providing greater yield and content of photosynthetic pigments. The application of 2,4-D in a hormetic dose, as a synthetic auxin during the beginning of flowering, proved to be a promising technique to improve cotton yield. This end-of-cycle response is related to the requirement for auxins during the cotton fruiting process.

We introduce the concept of a quasi-triply-degenerate state (QTDS) and demonstrate its relation to an effective zero refractive index (ZRI) in a two-dimensional (2D) square lattice photonic crystal (PC) of all dielectric pillars. A QTDS is characterized by a triple band structure (TBS), wherein two of the bands manifest a linear dispersion around the Γ-point, i.e. a Dirac-like cone, while the third is a flat zero refractive index (ZRI) band with a frequency that is degenerate with one of the other bands. Significantly, we find that while triple degeneracy of the bands is not observed, the three bands approach one another so close that the observable properties of PCs adapted to the QTDS frequency perform as expected of a ZRI material. We closely examine the ZRI band at the Γ-point and show that by varying the PC material and structure parameters, the ZRI band behavior extends over a wide range of dielectric refractive indices enabling materials made with polymeric constituents. Moreover, the ZRI characteristics are robust and tolerant over a range of frequencies. Furthermore, the computational screening we employ to identify QTDS parameters enables the rational design of low-loss 2D ZRI materials for a broad range of photonic applications, including distributing a common reference phase, cloaking and focusing light.

Background: Orthotopic lung transplantation in rats has been developed as a model to study organ dysfunction, but available tools for monitoring the graft function are limited. In this study, lung ultrasound (LUS) is proposed as a new non-invasive monitoring tool in awake rodents., Methods: LUS was applied to native and graft lung of six rats after left orthotopic transplantation. Rats were monitored with LUS while awake, patterns identified, images evaluated with a scoring system, intra- and inter-rater agreement was assessed and examination times analyzed., Results: A total of 78 clips were recorded. The median quality score of LUS was 3.66/4 for left hemithorax and 3.71/4 for native right side. The intra-rater agreement was 0.53 and 0.65 and the inter-rater agreement was 0.61 (P<0.01). Median time to complete the examination was 233.0 seconds (IQR 142) for both lungs, lowered from 254.0 seconds (IQR 129.5) (first trimester of study) to 205.5 seconds (IQR 88.5) (second trimester of the study). Significant findings on LUS were confirmed on pathological examination., Conclusions: LUS in awake rodents without shaving has been shown to be both feasible and safe and the images collected were of good quality and comparable to those obtained in anesthetized rats without bristles., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Hymenaea stigonocarpa is a deciduous and monoecious Neotropical tree species pollinated by bats. Due to overexploitation and habitat destruction, the population size has drastically diminished in nature. No previous study has investigated Mendelian inheritance, linkage, and genotypic disequilibrium in the available microsatellite markers in this species. So, our aim was to estimate these parameters using six microsatellite loci in a sample of 470 adults and 219 juveniles from two populations of H. stigonocarpa. In addition, 30 seeds per tree from 35 seed-trees were collected. Each seed was kept record of the seed-trees and fruit origin. Based on the six microsatellite loci, we found that only 10.6% of the cases showed significant deviations from Mendelian segregation and 15.3% showed linkage. We detected no evidence of genotypic disequilibrium between the loci in the adult trees or juveniles. Thus, our results suggest that these loci can be used with great accuracy in future genetic analyses of H. stigonocarpa populations.

The sintering behaviour of several green compacts made with olivine or olivine/alumina powder blends has been examined. To this goal, powders were attrition milled, uniaxially pressed into specimens and air sintered at temperatures ranging from 1100 to 1300 °C. The resulting samples were characterized by water absorption, shrinkage, phase composition and density. Compositions containing 5%, 10% and 20% Al₂O₃ have a sintering behaviour similar to that of olivine alone, reaching low residual porosity when fired at 1300 °C. Conversely, the composition containing 40% Al₂O₃ displays an almost flat shrinkage profile and maintains high residual porosity in the examined temperature range.

In the present research mortar pastes obtained by replacing a commercial cement with the equivalent mass of 5, 10, 20 and 30 wt.% of fly ash or bottom ash from fir chips combustion, were prepared and rheologically characterized. It was observed that the presence of ash modifies their rheological behaviour with respect to the reference blend due to the presence, in the ashes, of KCl and K2SO4 which cause precipitation of gypsum and portlandite during the first hydration stages of the pastes. Hydrated materials containing 5 wt.% of ash display compression strength and absorption at 28 d of same magnitude as the reference composition; conversely, progressive increase of ash cause a continuous decline of materials performances. Conversely, samples tested after 180 d display a marked decline of compression strength, as a consequence of potassium elution and consequent alkali-silica reaction against materials under curing., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In Nigeria, Mucuna pruriens seeds are locally prescribed as an oral prophylactic for snake bite and it is claimed that when two seeds are swallowed they protect the individual for a year against snake bites. In order to understand the Mucuna pruriens antisnake properties, the proteins from the acqueous extract of seeds were purified by three chromatographic steps: ConA affinity chromatography, tandem anionic-cationic exchange and gel filtration, obtaining a fraction conventionally called gpMucB. This purified fraction was analysed by SDS-PAGE obtaining 3 bands with apparent masses ranging from 20 to 24 kDa, and by MALDI-TOF which showed two main peaks of 21 and 23 kDa and another small peak of 19 kDa. On the other hand, gel filtration analysis of the native protein indicated a molecular mass of about 70 kDa suggesting that in its native form, gpMucB is most likely an oligomeric multiform protein. Infrared spectroscopy of gpMucB indicated that the protein is particularly thermostable both at neutral and acidic pHs and that it is an all beta protein. All data suggest that gpMucB belongs to the Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor family explaining the direct anti-snake venom activity of Mucuna pruriens seeds., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Westergren method is considered as the reference procedure to measure Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) by the International Council for Standardization in Haematology. However, a closed automated method, VES Matic Cube 80 (DIESSE S.p.A., Siena, Italy), has been introduced as a new ESR measurement instrument. In this article, we report two different studies: first, we compared the two methods (Westergren and VES Matic Cube 80) and second, we correlated the inflammatory state of 248 patients with their ESR values. Total protein, albumin, C-reactive protein, and other inflammatory proteins were detected in each sample. The results obtained using VES Matic Cube 80 demonstrated a good correlation with those obtained using the Westergren method (Ordinary linear regression: y=0.955x-0.205, r(2) =0.816, P<0.05; Passing-Bablock regression equation: y=0.9153x-0.5763; Bland-Altman analysis: bias 1.2; limits of agreement -17.4-19.9) and with the inflammatory protein levels (CRP: r=0.554 and r=0.498 and Fibrinogen: r=0.699 and r=0.663 for Ves Matic Cube 80 and Westergren, respectively), supporting the hypothesis that VES Matic Cube 80 offers a fast and safe ESR determination, ensuring precision and a very good correlation with the reference method., (© 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Echis carinatus venom (EV) is a complex mixture of toxins that contribute to its lethality. EV proteolytic activity was analyzed by zymography, chromogenic assays, and SDS-PAGE. To understand the molecular mechanism of the envenomation, we investigated the in vitro effect of EV on human plasma proteins. We looked for EV protein substrates and their proteolytic fragments. We analyzed EV proteolytic activity on standard proteins such as prothrombin or fibrinogen. To set up the optimal EV:plasma protein ratio conditions, plasma was incubated with EV (treated plasma), depleted of abundant proteins, and subjected to SDS-PAGE. Samples from control and treated plasma were also analyzed by 2-DE/MALDI-TOF MS, leading to the identification of four classes of plasma proteins cleaved by EV: proteases, protease inhibitors, binding proteins, and transporters. EV mainly proteolyzes entire proteins but can also act on physiological fragments. In summary, the physiological effects of EV proteases involve other important processes in addition to blood coagulation; complement activation and hemoglobin metabolism are also affected. In particular, the cleavage of protease inhibitors appears to be the mechanism through which the venom neutralizes the body's defenses.

The paper reports on some experimental results obtained from the production of ceramics containing steel slag and glass cullet from exhaust energy saving lamps mixed in different proportions. Blending of components was done by attrition milling. Pressed powders were fast fired (50 min, cold to cold) in air up to several temperatures in the range 1000-1140 degrees C. The sintering behaviour was studied by shrinkage and water absorption measurements. Density, strength and hardness of the fired bodies were determined and XRD were examined. The fired samples were finally tested in acidic environment in order to evaluate their elution behaviour and consequently their possible environmental compatibility. It is observed that the composition containing 60 wt.% of steel slag and 40 wt.% of glass cullet displayed the best overall behaviour., (2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The paper describes results obtained in the development of a previous research. We study here, in fast firing, the sintering behaviour and measure some properties of tiles containing a mixture of 60 wt% of paper mill sludge and 40 wt% of glass cullet. The behaviour of this material is compared to those displayed by materials obtained by the same mixture added with 10, 20 and 30 wt% of a natural red clay. In parallel, the same properties are measured also on a reference blend, which is presently used to produce commercial tiles. We show that powders containing 60 wt% of paper sludge and 40 wt% of glass cullet to which 30 wt% of clay is added give rise to materials that display a stable sintering process and have good hardness and strength and therefore could be used for the industrial production of tiles.

The present paper reports on the results of some experiments obtained from the production, hydration and subsequent measurement of the mechanical properties of several mortars prepared using a commercial CII/B-LL Portland cement, steelmaking slag, superplasticizer and water. Relevant parameters for the mortar preparation are the weight ratios of cement/water, the weight ratio superplasticizer/cement and between fine and granulated coarse particles. It has been demonstrated that optimisation of such parameters leads to the production of materials with mechanical properties suitable for civil engineering applications. Moreover, materials with improved compressive strength can be prepared by the use of slag containing extensive amounts of large particles.

Three different types of paper mill sludge were first incinerated and then attrition milled separately or mixed with glass cullet in varying proportions to obtain powders of different compositions. These powders were then dried, sieved, uniaxially pressed into samples and air sintered. Fired samples were characterized by density, water absorption, shrinkage on firing, strength, hardness and fracture toughness measurements; SEM and X-ray diffractions were also carried out to investigate microstructure and phase composition. Some sintered samples displayed fairly good physical and mechanical properties as a consequence of their low residual porosity and fine microstructure.

Objective: From January 1995 to June 1999 our surgical team at ICORP, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, performed coronary artery surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass as a routine procedure. A total of 897 operations were performed during this period, 91.8 % (824) of them without cardiopulmonary bypass. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the results of these 824 patients with regard to duration of hospitalization, age, sex, number of grafts, reoperations performed, morbidity and mortality. All patients underwent previous coronary arteriography., Methods: With patients admitted in the hospital for elective or emergency myocardial revascularization, all the coronary arteries were bypassed, possibly without cardiopulmonary bypass, including the marginal branches of the circumflex artery. Basic statistical analysis has been performed over the above-mentioned variables., Results: The patients' ages ranged from 35 to 88 years, with a mean age of 61.2. The average duration of hospitalization was seven days. In all, 1,738 grafts were implanted, the number in individual patients varying from one to four (average of 2.1 per patient). The incidence of procedure-related complications was 3.15% (26 patients). Twenty-three patients (2.8%) died in the early postoperative period., Conclusions: Considering the data obtained from this study, we conclude that the procedure can be used in the vast majority of patients undergoing coronary artery surgery (compared to the similar studies of patients operated on with cardiopulmonary bypass).