Long-Term Conservation for the Safeguard of : An Endemic and Endangered Species of Sicily.

The combined approaches between ex situ and in situ conservation are of great importance for threatened species in urgent need of protection. This study aims to develop concrete actions to preserve the relic of 30 adult trees of the Sicilian fir () from extinction using long-term germplasm conservation in liquid nitrogen (LN, -196 °C). Pollen grains were collected, and their moisture content (MC) was measured.

The Polyol Process and the Synthesis of ζ Intermetallic Compound AgSn.

The present work concerns the intermetallic compound (IMC) existing in the Ag-Sn system and its potential use in electronics as attachment materials allowing the adhesion of the chip to the substrate forming the power module. First, we present the synthesis protocol in polyol medium of a compound with the chemical formula AgSn belonging to the solid solution of composition located between 9 and 16 at.% Sn, known as solid solution ζ (or ζ-AgSn).

Investigation of Surface Integrity Induced by Various Finishing Processes of AISI 52100 Bearing Rings.

Surface integrity induced by finishing processes significantly affects the functional performance of machined components. In this work, three kinds of finishing processes, i.e.

Evaluation of a Radiolabeled Macrocyclic Peptide as Potential PET Imaging Probe for PD-L1.

The interaction between the immune checkpoint PD-1 and PD-L1 promotes T-cell deactivation and cancer proliferation. Therefore, immune checkpoint inhibition therapy, which relies on prior assessment of the target, has been widely used for many cancers. As a non-invasive molecular imaging tool, radiotracers bring novel information on the in vivo expression of biomarkers (e.

Unexpected transformation of n.c.a. [In]InCl in stock solutions into an unreactive [In]In-species.

While performing multiple indium-111 labeling of DOTA-modified peptides from a single batch of [In]InCl, inconsistent radiochemical yields were observed. We found that the formation of a radioactive impurity in the [In]InCl stock solution hampered the reactivity of the indium-111 during radiolabeling reactions. The formation of this unknown In-species could be successfully suppressed by increasing the concentration of chloride ions in the stock solution and [In]InCl was "recovered".

Original implementation of low-temperature SPS for bioactive glass used as a bone biomaterial.

Alkali borated bioactive glasses powders with compositions based on the SiO-NaO-CaO-PO-x BO system (0 < x < 20 wt%); have been consolidated at low temperature using Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). Through SPS technique under 50 MPa, it was possible to achieve fully dense and completely amorphous borated glasses at temperatures as low as 420 °C. By increasing the sintering temperature up to 430 °C, the dense samples crystallized which is mostly achieved at higher temperatures.

The Applicability of Die Cast A356 Alloy to Additive Friction Stir Deposition at Various Feeding Speeds.

In the current investigation, additive friction stir-deposition (AFS-D) of as-cast hypoeutectic A356 Al alloy was conducted. The effect of feeding speeds of 3, 4, and 5 mm/min at a constant rotational speed of 1200 rpm on the macrostructure, microstructure, and hardness of the additive manufacturing parts (AMPs) was investigated. Various techniques (OM, SEM, and XRD) were used to evaluate grain microstructure, presence phases, and intermetallics for the as-cast material and the AMPs.

Friction Stir Welding of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel: Feasibility of Butt Joint Groove Filling in Comparison to Gas Tungsten Arc Welding.

This work investigates the feasibility of using friction stir welding (FSW) process as a groove filling welding technique to weld duplex stainless steel (DSS) that is extensively used by petroleum service companies and marine industries. For the FSW experiments, three different groove geometries without root gap were designed and machined in a DSS plates 6.5 mm thick.

The Role of Orientation and Temperature on the Mechanical Properties of a 20 Years Old Wind Turbine Blade GFR Composite.

This work evaluates the mechanical properties of the glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) material taken from an out of service 100 KW power wind turbine blade which has been in service life of 20 years old. Investigated samples were taken from two positions of undamaged regions at 1.6 m and 5.

Impacts of Iron Metabolism Dysregulation on Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Iron plays an important role in maintaining cell survival, with normal iron trafficking known to be regulated by the ceruloplasmin-transferrin (Cp-Tf) antioxidant system. Disruption to this system is thought to be detrimental to normal brain function.

Objective: To determine whether an imbalance of iron and the proteins involved in its metabolism (ceruloplasmin and transferrin) are linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to the expression of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide 1-42 (Aβ1-42), which is a major species of Aβ, and the most toxic.

LDH-Co-Fe-Acetate: A New Efficient Sorbent for Azoic Dye Removal and Elaboration by Hydrolysis in Polyol, Characterization, Adsorption, and Anionic Exchange of Direct Red 2 as a Model Anionic Dye.

A new, double hydroxide based on Co and Fe was elaborated on by forced hydrolysis in a polyol medium. Complementary characterization techniques show that this new phase belongs to the layered double hydroxide family (LDH) with Co and Fe ions located in the octahedral sites of the bucite-like structure. The acetate anions occupy interlayer space with an interlamellar distance of 12.

Sorbitol as a Polar Pharmacological Modifier to Enhance the Hydrophilicity of Tc-Tricarbonyl-Based Radiopharmaceuticals.

The organometallic technetium-99m tricarbonyl core, [Tc][Tc(CO)(HO)], is a versatile precursor for the development of radiotracers for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). A drawback of the Tc-tricarbonyl core is its lipophilicity, which can influence the pharmacokinetic properties of the SPECT imaging probe. Addition of polar pharmacological modifiers to Tc-tricarbonyl conjugates holds the promise to counteract this effect and provide tumor-targeting radiopharmaceuticals with improved hydrophilicities, e.

Bimodal Fucoidan-Coated Zinc Oxide/Iron Oxide-Based Nanoparticles for the Imaging of Atherothrombosis.

A polyol method was used to obtain ultrasmall ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) doped with iron ions and coated with a low molecular weight fucoidan in order to perform in vivo MR and ex vivo fluorescence imaging of athrothrombosis. During the synthesis, the early elimination of water by azeotropic distillation with toluene allowed us to produce NPs which size, determined by XRD and TEM, decreased from 7 nm to 4 nm with the increase of iron/zinc ratios from 0.05 to 0.

Mini-review: Targeted radiopharmaceuticals incorporating reversible, low molecular weight albumin binders.

The combination of low molecular weight, reversible human serum albumin (HSA) binders with targeted radiopharmaceuticals in dual-targeted radioconjugates holds great promise, in particular for endoradiotherapy. Attachment of HSA-binders to radiopharmaceuticals extends their blood circulation time and results in an enhanced tumour uptake as well as often in an improved pharmacokinetic profile. In this mini-review, an overview of currently pursued approaches of this novel strategy is provided.

Quantitative Ligand Affinity Scales for Metal Triflate Salts: Application to Isomer Differentiation.

Owing to the importance of metal triflates in catalysis, the affinity of the cationic center for a selection of organic ligands was explored for In and Zn triflates. The organic Lewis bases include a variety of carbonyls (amides, unsaturated ketones, a lactone) and cyclic 1,2-diols. The relative affinity of the ligands for the cationic center in triflates was quantitatively determined on the basis of relative ion concentrations determined by electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry.

Ruthenium polypyridyl TG6 dye for the sensitization of nanoparticle and nanocrystallite spherical aggregate photoelectrodes.

A ruthenium polypyridyl dye containing a hexasulfanyl-styryl modified bipyridyl group as ancillary ligand, coded TG6, is investigated as a sensitizer for ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The advantages of this dye are a broad wavelength absorption spectrum, a large loading in ZnO photoelectrodes, a significantly larger extinction coefficient compared to more classical Ru-polypyridyl dyes, and the formation of less agglomerate in the pores of the ZnO layers. TG6 has been used to sensitize ZnO nanorod particle layers of high structural quality and ZnO layers made of submicrometer spheres composed of aggregated nanocrystallites and that develop an internal surface area.

Thermodynamics of nanoparticles: experimental protocol based on a comprehensive Ginzburg-Landau interpretation.

The effects of surface and interface on the thermodynamics of small particles require a deeper understanding. This step is crucial for the development of models that can be used for decision-making support to design nanomaterials with original properties. On the basis of experimental results for phase transitions in compressed ZnO nanoparticles, we show the limitations of classical thermodynamics approaches (Gibbs and Landau).

Relevance of roughness parameters of surface finish in precision hard turning.

Precision hard turning is a process to improve the surface integrity of functional surfaces. Machining experiments are carried out on hardened AISI 52100 bearing steel under dry condition using c-BN cutting tools. A full factorial experimental design is used to characterize the effect of cutting parameters.

Conducting-polymer electrochemical switching as an easy means for control of the molecular properties of grafted transition metal complexes.

Copper(II) 3',4'-bis(N,N'-oxamato)terthiophene has been synthesized and electropolymerized. The copper(II)-complex centers are not affected by the polymerization process, which involves coupling between Calpha carbon atoms of the terthiophene units and leads to a new conjugated polymer consisting of polythiophene chains bearing bis(oxamato)-Cu(II) groups regioregularly grafted onto the polymer backbone. The polymer is stable with respect to polythiophene electroactivity, and no demetallation or modification of the Cu oxidation state occurs over a large potential range.