Indoor levels of volatile organic compounds at Florentine museum environments in Italy

Indoor Air Quality monitoring in cultural institutions is of particular concern to protect these places and the cultural heritage content. An indoor monitoring campaign was performed in three museums in Florence (Italy) to determine the occurrence and levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs of interest included BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes), terpenes, aldehydes, organic acids, and cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS). The most abundant VOCs in all samples analyzed were BTEX, which were strictly related to the traffic source, followed by siloxanes and terpenes. Among BTEX, toluene was always the most abundant followed by xylenes, ethylbenzene, and benzene. cVMS in exhibition rooms with the presence of visitors showed higher values compared to samples collected when the museums were closed. Terpenes showed not only the influence of vegetation-biogenic sources surrounding a museum but could also be related to the wood used for the construction of showcases and furniture and the use of cleaning products. Data obtained also showed the presence of organic acids and aldehydes whose source can be traced back to exhibits themselves and wood-based furniture. Assessing the levels of organic acids in museums is important because, over time, it can cause deterioration of the artifacts.     

Unpatterned Bioactive Poly(Butylene 1,4-Cyclohexanedicarboxylate)-Based Film Fast Induced Neuronal-Like Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow-Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Herein, we present poly(butylene 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate) (PBCE) films characterized by an unpatterned microstructure and a specific hydrophobicity, capable of boosting a drastic cytoskeleton architecture remodeling, culminating with the neuronal-like differentiation of human bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). We have used two different filming procedures to prepare the films, solvent casting (PBCE) and compression-moulding (PBCE*). PBCE film had a rough and porous surface with spherulite-like aggregations (Ø = 10–20 μm) and was characterized by a water contact angle = 100°. PBCE* showed a smooth and continuous surface without voids and visible spherulite-like aggregations and was more hydrophobic (WCA = 110°). Both surface characteristics were modulated through the copolymerization of different amounts of ether-oxygen-containing co-units into PBCE chemical structure. We showed that only the surface characteristics of PBCE-solvent-casted films steered hBM-MSCs toward a neuronal-like differentiation. hBM-MSCs lost their canonical mesenchymal morphology, acquired a neuronal polarized shape with a long cell protrusion (≥150 μm), expressed neuron-specific class III β-tubulin and microtubule-associated protein 2 neuronal markers, while nestin, a marker of uncommitted stem cells, was drastically silenced. These events were observed as early as 2-days after cell seeding. Of note, the phenomenon was totally absent on PBCE* film, as hBM-MSCs maintained the mesenchymal shape and behavior and did not express neuronal/glial markers.     

BET-Inhibitor I-BET762 and PARP-Inhibitor Talazoparib Synergy in Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive type of lung cancer with high mortality that is caused by frequent relapses and acquired resistance. Despite that several target-based approaches with potential therapeutic impact on SCLC have been identified, numerous targeted drugs have not been successful in providing improvements in cancer patients when used as single agents. A combination of targeted therapies could be a strategy to induce maximum lethal effects on cancer cells. As a starting point in the development of new drug combination strategies for the treatment of SCLC, we performed a mid-throughput screening assay by treating a panel of SCLC cell lines with BETi or AKi in combination with PARPi or EZH2i. We observed drug synergy between I-BET762 and Talazoparib, BETi and PARPi, respectively, in SCLC cells. Combinatorial efficacy was observed in MYCs-amplified and MYCs-wt SCLC cells over SCLC cells with impaired MYC signaling pathway or non-tumor cells. We indicate that drug synergy between I-BET762 and Talazoparib is associated with the attenuation HR-DSBR process and the downregulation of various players of DNA damage response by BET inhibition, such as CHEK2, PTEN, NBN, and FANCC. Our results provide a rationale for the development of new combinatorial strategies for the treatment of SCLC.     

Development of an experimental test rig for cogeneration based on a Stirling engine and a biofuel burner

A system consisting of a last-generation Stirling engine (SE) and a fuel burner for distributed power generation has been developed and experimentally investigated. The heat generated by the combustion of two liquid fuels, a standard Diesel fuel and a rapeseed oil, is used as a heat source for the SE, that converts part of the thermal energy into mechanical and then electric energy. The hot head of the SE is kept in direct contact with the flame generated by the burner. The burner operating parameters, designed for Diesel fuel, were changed to make it possible to burn vegetable oils, not suitable for internal combustion engines. The possibility of adopting different configurations of the combustion chamber was taken into account to increase the system efficiency. The preliminary configurations adopted allowed to operate this integrated system, obtaining an electric power up to 4.4 kW_el with a net efficiency of 11.6%.     

Hybrid and optical packet switching supporting different service classes in data center network

Photonic Network Communications - Optical packet switching is a prominent technology proposing not only a reduction in the energy consumption by the elimination of numerous...