Astronomy and Etruscan Ritual: The Case of the Ara della Regina in Tarquinia

The ancient town of Tarquinia is the key place of the Etruscan system of beliefs, since its foundations were credited to Tarchon, descendant of the Greek hero Herakles, founder of the Etruscan League, and discloser of the sacred texts of the Etrusca Disciplina. These were said to come from the infant oracle Tages, who sprang out from the terrain in front of Tarchon while he was ploughing a field. In order to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the archaeological records and the Etruscan symbolic world we investigate here on different orientations and on their possible symbolic meaning at the Ara della Regina, the sanctuary of Tarquinia. The main base appears to be related to the sun rising a decades before the spring equinox, while the Archaic altar, probably representing Tarchon’s cenotaph, was orientated to the setting of the constellation Herakles.     

Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Energetic Efficiency and Aging

Aging is associated with a progressive loss of maximal cell functionality, and mitochondria are considered a key factor in aging process, since they determine the ATP availability in the cells. Mitochondrial performance during aging in skeletal muscle is reported to be either decreased or unchanged. This heterogeneity of results could partly be due to the method used to assess mitochondrial performance. In addition, in skeletal muscle the mitochondrial population is heterogeneous, composed of subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondria. Therefore, the purpose of the present review is to summarize the results obtained on the functionality of the above mitochondrial populations during aging, taking into account that the mitochondrial performance depends on organelle number, organelle activity, and energetic efficiency of the mitochondrial machinery in synthesizing ATP from the oxidation of fuels.     

Functional Modification of Fibronectin by N‐Terminal FXIIIa‐Mediated Transamidation

A straightforward strategy is presented for the site‐specific incorporation of fluorophores or reactive probes into the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein fibronectin (Fn) by using the enzyme‐catalyzed transamidation by activated factor XIII. Characterization by SDS‐PAGE, western blotting, absorption measurements, mass spectrometry, and stepwise photobleaching for labeling quantification at the single‐molecule level showed that the labeling was efficient and restricted to the N‐terminal tails. The introduction of labels did not interfere with Fn fibrillogenesis, as verified by the incorporation of fluorescently labeled Fn into ECM and manually pulled Fn fibers. Site‐specific incorporation of an azide was used to create a template for bioorthogonal click chemistry reactions in a second bioconjugation step, thus offering versatile modification and application possibilities in the context of matrix biology and tissue engineering.     

Shape controlled spherical (0D) and rod-like (1D) silica nanoparticles in silica/styrene butadiene rubber nanocomposites: Role of the particle morphology on the filler reinforcing effect

Silica/styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) nanocomposites were prepared by blending method using shape-controlled spherical and rod-like nanoparticles with different aspect ratios as filler for the rubber reinforcement. The differently shaped silica particles were synthesized by sol–gel method using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTSM) as silica precursors, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as structure directing agent. This strategy allowed to study the influence of the particle morphology on the reinforcing effect independently of the silica surface chemistry and considering the aspect ratio as the only geometrical variance. Spherical and anisotropic rod-like particles, dispersed in the nanocomposites, formed a network of particles bridged by thin rubber layers throughout the SBR matrix. Moreover, differently oriented domains of aligned rods are observed when the aspect ratio of particles increases and is ≥2. Dynamic-mechanical properties demonstrated that the rod-like particles with the higher aspect ratio provided stronger reinforcement of the rubber. This was related to the self-alignment of the anisotropic particles and to the consequent larger filler/polymer interface, compared to that of spherical ones.     

Functional Analyses of Four CYP1A1 Missense Mutations Present in Patients with Atypical Femoral Fractures

Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disorder and nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (BP) are a first line treatment for it. Yet, atypical femoral fractures (AFF), a rare adverse effect, may appear after prolonged BP administration. Given the low incidence of AFF, an underlying genetic cause that increases the susceptibility to these fractures is suspected. Previous studies uncovered rare CYP1A1 mutations in osteoporosis patients who suffered AFF after long-term BP treatment. CYP1A1 is involved in drug metabolism and steroid catabolism, making it an interesting candidate. However, a functional validation for the AFF-associated CYP1A1 mutations was lacking. Here we tested the enzymatic activity of four such CYP1A1 variants, by transfecting them into Saos-2 cells. We also tested the effect of commonly used BPs on the enzymatic activity of the CYP1A1 forms. We demonstrated that the p.Arg98Trp and p.Arg136His CYP1A1 variants have a significant negative effect on enzymatic activity. Moreover, all the BP treatments decreased CYP1A1 activity, although no specific interaction with CYP1A1 variants was found. Our results provide functional support to the hypothesis that an additive effect between CYP1A1 heterozygous mutations p.Arg98Trp and p.Arg136His, other rare mutations and long-term BP exposure might generate susceptibility to AFF.     

Protecting probiotic bacteria by microencapsulation: challenges for industrial applications

The use of probiotic bacteria in novel foods to provide beneficial health effects is today of increasing interest in the food industry. The process stability of probiotics is, however, not always optimal. Microencapsulation technology can be used to maintain the viability of probiotic bacteria during food product processing and storage. Both true microcapsules with coating as well as microspheres where the bacteria are evenly spread in the coating material are discussed. It is important that encapsulation keeps the probiotics active through the gastrointestinal tract and releases them in their target organ. The survival of microencapsulated cells in simulated gastric conditions is therefore also reviewed. Polysaccharides like alginate, gellan, κ-carrageenan and starch are the most commonly used materials in microencapsulation of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Techniques commonly applied for probiotic microencapsulation are emulsion, extrusion, spray drying, and adhesion to starch. Bead stability can be improved by using different coating materials, e.g. chitosan. Future challenges in the field include recognition of new potent applications, selection of appropriate techniques, materials and bacterial strains, and minimizing the extra costs incurred by microencapsulation.     

Innovation,networking and complementarity: evidence on SME performances for a local economic system in North-Eastern Italy

New evidence and theoretical discussion on the complementarity relationships concerning different networking activities and R&D in a local SME oriented system is presented. R&D arises a main driver of innovation and productivity, even without the association to networking. The complementarity between diversified networking activities and R&D/innovation is generally found, in a discrete setting. Non-strict complementarity nevertheless prevails. On the innovation side, complementarity among performance drivers is more crucial for product/radical innovation, relatively to process innovation, which also witnesses substitutability signals. Networking can be a complementary factor in situations where cooperation and networking are needed to achieve economies of scale and/or to merge and integrate diverse skills, technologies and competencies. Managers and policy makers should be aware that in order to exploit asset complementarity, possibly transformed into competitive advantages, both R&D and networking are to be sustained and favoured. Networking elements are crucially linked to innovation dynamics; it is nevertheless innovation that explains and drives networking, and not the often claimed mere existence of local spillovers or of a civic associative culture in the territory. Such public good factors are likely to evolve with and be sustained by firm innovative dynamics.     

Effects of yeasts and bacteria on the levels of folates in rye sourdoughs

Fermentation of rye dough is often accompanied with an increase in folate content. In this study, three sourdough yeasts, Candida milleri CBS 8195, Saccharomyces cerevisiae TS 146, and Torulaspora delbrueckii TS 207; a control, baker's yeast S. cerevisiae ALKO 743; and four Lactobacillus spp., L. acidophilus TSB 262, L. brevis TSB 307, L. plantarum TSB 304, and L. sanfranciscensis TSB 299 originally isolated from rye sourdough were examined for their abilities to produce or consume folates. The microorganisms were grown in yeast extract-peptone-d-glucose medium as well as in small-scale fermentations that modelled the sourdough fermentation step used in rye baking. Total folate contents were determined using Lactobacillus rhamnosus (ATCC 7469) as the growth indicator organism. The microorganisms studied did not excrete folates into the media in significant amounts. Yeasts increased the folate contents of sterilised rye flour-water mixtures from 6.5 microg/100 g to between 15 and 23 microg/100 g after 19-h fermentation, whereas lactic acid bacteria decreased it to between 2.9 and 4.2 microg/100 g. Strains of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, L. casei, L. curvatus, L. fermentum, L. helveticus, Pediococcus spp., and Streptococcus thermophilus that were also tested gave folate contents after fermentation that varied between 2 and 10.4 microg/100 g. Although the four Lactobacillus spp. from sourdough consumed folates their effect on folate contents in co-cultivations was minimal. It was concluded that the increase of folate content during fermentation was mainly due to folate synthesis by yeasts. Fermentation of non-sterilised flour-water mixtures as such resulted in three-fold increases in the folate contents. Two folate producing bacteria were isolated from the non-sterilised flour and identified as Enterobacter cowanii and Pantoea agglomerans.     

Improving the performance of fluidized bed biomass/waste gasifiers for distributed electricity: A new three-stage gasification system

Methods to increase the conversion of char and tar in fluidized bed gasifiers (FBG) are discussed, with the focus on small to medium-size biomass/waste gasifiers for power production (from 0.5 to 10 MW_e). Optimization of such systems aims at (i) maximizing energy utilization of the fuel (maximizing char conversion), (ii) minimizing secondary treatment of the gas (by avoiding complex tar cleaning), and (iii) application in small biomass-to-electricity gasification plants. The efficiency of various measures to increase tar and char conversion within a gasification reactor (primary methods) is discussed. The optimization of FBG by using in-bed catalysts, by addition of steam and enriched air as gasification agent, and by secondary-air injection, although improving the process, is shown to be insufficient to attain the gas purity required for burning the gas in an engine to produce electricity. Staged gasification is identified as the only method capable of reaching the targets mentioned above with reasonable simplicity and cost, so it is ideal for power production. A promising new stage gasification process is presented. It is based on three stages: FB devolatilization, non-catalytic air/steam reforming of the gas coming from the devolatilizer, and chemical filtering of the gas and gasification of the char in a moving bed supplied with the char generated in the devolatilizer. Design considerations and comparison with one-stage FBG are discussed.