Calsequestrin as a risk factor in Graves’ hyperthyroidism and Graves’ ophthalmopathy patients

Background: The pathogenesis of Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO), Graves’ hyperthyroidism (GH) and the mechanisms for its link to thyroid autoimmunity are poorly understood. Our research focuses on the role of the skeletal muscle calcium binding protein calsequestrin (CASQ1) in thyroid. We measured the concentration of the CASQ1 protein correlating levels with parameters of the eye signs, CASQ1 antibody levels and CASQ1 gene polymorphism rs3838284. Methods: CASQ1 protein was measured by quantitative Western Blotting. The protein concentrations were expressed as pmol/mg total protein by reference to CASQ1 standards. Results: Western blot analysis showed the presence of two forms of CASQ1 in the thyroid. The mean concentration of CASQ1 protein was significantly reduced in patients with Graves’ disease, compared to thyroid from control subjects with multi-nodular goitre or thyroid cancer. Although in patients with GO it was lower than that, compared with patients with GH this difference was not significant. Reduced CASQ1 in Graves’ thyroid correlated with the homozygous genotype of the rs3838284 CASQ1 polymorphism. Conclusions: Decreased CASQ1 in the thyroid of patients with Graves’ disease compared to thyroid from control subjects is not explained but may reflect consumption of the protein during an autoimmune reaction against CASQ1 in the thyroid

The use of Mount Etna volcanic ash in the production of bricks with good physical-mechanical performance: converting a problematic waste product into a resource for the construction industry

Volcanic ash emissions are responsible for serious damage to buildings. They can also affect vehicle traffic, cause airport closures and may be hazardous for human health. To verify the effects of the potential addition of this residue to the mixture used in the production of bricks, a detailed study of the clayey material, the volcanic ash and the bricks fired at 800, 950 and 1100 ºC was conducted, assessing chemical, mineralogical, physical, mechanical and durability aspects. The addition of 10 to 20 wt.% of volcanic ash delayed the appearance of new phases during brick firing and made them less porous. The bricks maintained their orange colour and became more compact as the firing temperature increased due to sintering and vitrification processes. The addition of volcanic ash reduced the strength of the bricks although the values were always above the limits recommended for construction work with ceramic materials. Bricks with added volcanic ash increased their resistance to decay due to salt crystallization and the general behaviour of the bricks improved when they were fired at high temperatures.Grupo de Investigación RNM 179 de la Junta de Andalucí

Technical quality of solid bricks made using clayey earth with added coffee grounds and fly ash

This paper analyses the effects of the addition of organic (coffee grounds) and inorganic (fly ash) residues to a clayey soil rich in quartz and other silicates used as a raw material in brick production. To this end the mineralogy, texture, durability and physical and mechanical properties of solid bricks fired between 800 and 1100 ºC were studied. The results show that as the firing temperature increased, the phyllosilicate content decreased and mullite appeared. The matrix became less birefringent due to gradual vitrification of the samples, especially after 950 ºC. Vitrification resulted in more compact, less porous samples. The addition of residues did not affect the mineralogy, but it did alter certain physical parameters such as colour and porosity. The largest colour differences were detected after the addition of fly ash, which usually caused a whitish patina to develop on the surface of the fired bricks, while the highest porosity values were detected in bricks with coffee grounds, significantly reducing the bulk density. The increase in firing temperature improved the mechanical resistance and durability of all the bricks regardless of their composition.Grupo de Investigación RNM179 de la Junta de Andalucí

Roman brick production technologies in Padua (Northern Italy) along the Late Antiquity and Medieval Times: Durable bricks on high humid environs

Production technologies of Roman to Medieval times bricks on the city of Padua were addressed by means of a multi-analytical approach, consisting in Spectrophotometry, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD), Polarized Optical Microscopy (POM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM- EDS). The Early-Christian (5-6 th centuries) and Romanesque (12-13 th centuries) areas of the Basilica of Saint Justine of Padua (5/6-16 th centuries), and the remains of the Roman necropolis (1-3/4 th centuries) still preserved under the basilica, were selected to collect the bricks in order to define possible differences between the materials used for the various building phases. The walls are mainly shaped by yellow (with pale and dark hue) and beige colored bricks with an overall good conservation state. The ceramic bodies of this type of bricks showed the development of high-temperature phases but a low sintering degree was achieved. Moreover, secondary phases such as zeolites and calcite were formed, within almost the pale-yellow bodies and intensively precipitated through the groundmass of the beige bricks, respectively. Mg-rich calcareous clays and chloritic-illitic clays were used, firing temperatures of or over 900 °C were reached and more porous ceramic bodies were produced when higher was the carbonate content on the raw clays. A lesser carbonate content of the base clays and/or the decrease in the firing temperatures were the main technological modifications progressively accomplished, leading to color changes on the ceramic bodies from yellow to beige hue. The Roman production technologies might be largely inherited by the brick makers during the Late Antiquity and Medieval times in the city and the reuse of more an- cient bricks during the Medieval Times was confirmed. Such reuse operations have allowed to observe that under high humid conditions the yellow hue bricks have been rather good preserved, while when exposed to insolation and fluctuations of the environmental conditions a significant granular disaggrega- tion -with the concomitance darkening of the color pastes- is developed. The color of bricks may entail an identifier of a specific construction period of the city and durable bricks from local clays, especially suitable for high humidity areas and that may preserve the aesthetical values of the city of Padua, may be currently produced.European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship 836122Junta de Andalucia RNM17

Chemical, mineralogical and physical study of Late Iron Age ceramics from Nditam: Cameroon (West central Africa)

This paper studied Late Iron Age ceramic fragments from Nditam village (Centre Region, Cameroon), the technological features and deduced the type of the raw materials used to produce them by combining different analytical techniques based on X-ray fluorescence, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, polarized optical microscopy, spectrophotometry and hydric tests. Macroscopic observations suggest the existence of three types of ceramics according to their colour, black, greyish and red, in the two opposite surfaces, outer (or external) and inner (internal). The chemistry indicates that non-calcareous clayey material was used for ceramic production. The correlation between mineralogy, petrography and the geology of the region suggests a local production of ceramics. Moreover, the chemistry of the samples confirms the existence of the three macroscopic groups and suggests the use of local raw materials for their production. From the mineralogical point of view, quartz, feldspar and mica (biotite and muscovite) were identified in all the samples, while kaolinite and amphibole were detected in some of them. The differences in the mineralogy may indicate some variations in the firing temperature, being lower in the ceramics containing kaolinite compared to the other samples. All the samples have similar water absorption behaviour. According to the colours of the ceramics, a prevalence of oxidising firing conditions was present in the kilns. However, partial reducing and short duration firing conditions were also possible. Comparative study with the mineralogy of ethnographic ceramics from southern Cameroon shows some similarities and suggests a continuity in the use of different local clay pits in this region over time.Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM179Research Project B-RNM-188-UGR20 of the Regional Ministry of University, Research and Innovation of the Junta de Andalucía and FEDER (Spain), a way of making Europ

Water degrading effects on the bond behavior in FRP-strengthened masonry

Fiber reinforced polymers are being extensively used for external strengthening of masonry structures. However, durability of this strengthening technique under environmental conditions is still under inves- tigation. Previous studies indicate that moisture plays an important role in the durability of bond between FRP and substrate. Moisture can cause degradation in the bond behavior and also in the mechan- ical properties of the constituent materials. This paper presents and discusses the results of an experi- mental investigation on the effects of moisture on the bond behavior in FRP-strengthened masonry bricks. The degradation in the bond performance has been investigated by performing pull-off and pull-out tests on the conditioned specimens. The change in the mechanical properties of the materials has also been investigated. Comparative analysis has been performed and the results are presented and critically discussed.This work was partly funded by project FP7-ENV-2009-1-244123-NIKER of the 7th Framework Program of the European Commission, which is gratefully acknowledged. The first author also acknowledges the financial support of the Portuguese Science Foundation (Fundacao de Ciencia e Tecnologia, FCT), through grant SFRH/BD/80697/2011

Growth of metastable phases during brick firing: mineralogical and microtextural changes induced by the composition of the raw material and the presence of additives

Research Project MAT2016-75889-R Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM179 Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología (Universidad de Granada) Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales (Universidad de Granada) Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR) Grupo de Investigación HUM613 (Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales y de la Sostenibilidad)We thank Cerámica Castillo Siles for providing the raw material used to prepare and fire the bricks and Cervezas Alhambra S.L. (Granada) for providing the calcined diatomite sludge with yeast. We are grateful to Nigel Walkington for his assistance in translating the original text.Mineralogical and textural changes experienced by solid bricks made without additives and others made with added halite or with added calcined diatomite sludge, and fired in an electric oven at 800, 950 and 1100°C have been studied. Different analytical techniques (x-ray fluorescence, thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray diffraction, polarized optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) were used to reconstruct the changes that took place inside the bricks from a mineralogical and textural point of view. These changes are similar to those that take place in nature during pyrometamorphism. Carbonates decompose and react with silicates to form gehlenite, diopside and wollastonite. Plagioclase enriches in calcium and quartz concentration diminishes. Clay minerals favour the melting of matrix and the appearance of mullite. K-Feldspar changes from microcline to sanidine. The extent of vitrification increases in line with the increase in the firing temperature. When halite is added, new silicates appear earlier at lower firing temperatures and molysite is formed. Calcined diatomite sludge contains cristobalite, which becomes part of the mineralogy of the bricks. The newly-formed phases contain certain chemical elements that are not normally found in their standard chemical composition.This study was funded by Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM179 and by the Research Project MAT2016-75889-R

Diferencias en las propiedades reológicas de suspensiones de cal calcítica y dolomítica: influencia de las características de las partículas e implicaciones prácticas en la fabricación de morteros de cal

The study of the rheological properties of lime suspensions is a useful means to evaluate the workability of lime mortars. In this work, we studied the flow behaviour of two industrial hydrated limes, one of calcitic and the other of dolomitic composition, by means of two types of rheometer with different geometry and setup mode. The obtained results were interpreted taking into account the differences in microstructure and surface properties of the suspended particles. Calcitic lime dry particles are formed by angular and polydisperse clusters and, once dispersed in water, they behave like thixotropic materials. On the other hand, the dolomitic lime is formed by nanoparticles and small round cluster and it shows a pronounced plastic behaviour in suspension. This fundamental difference between the two materials explains the traditional preference for dolomitic lime mortars for plastering and rendering applications.El estudio de las propiedades reológicas de suspensiones de cal es una herramienta muy útil para evaluar la trabajabilidad de morteros de cal. En este trabajo se ha estudiado el comportamiento en suspensión de dos cales hidratadas, de composición calcítica y dolomítica, mediante dos tipos de reómetros con geometría y modalidades distintas de medida. Los resultados obtenidos se han interpretado teniendo en cuenta las diferencias en la microestructura y las propiedades de superficie de las partículas en suspensión. Las partículas de cal calcítica están formadas por aglomerados angulares y polidispersos y, una vez dispersadas en agua, presentan un comportamiento tixotrópico. Por su parte, la cal dolomítica está formada por nanopartículas y pequeños agregados redondeados y muestra en suspensión un pronunciado comportamiento plástico. Esta importante diferencia entre las dos cales explica la preferencia tradicional de morteros de cal dolomítica para aplicaciones en revocos

Effect of iron and organic matter on mineralogy and texture of replacement bricks for heritage conservation: The case of the Alhambra Formation soil (Granada, Spain)

Throughout history, bricks have been an important part of monumental and vernacular architecture but often suffer alteration due to physico-chemical weathering and require replacement. Local soil could be used to fabricate compatible replacement bricks with similar physico-chemical characteristics as historic ceramics. Here the mineralogical and textural evolution of bricks prepared with local soil containing iron-oxyhydroxides and organic matter and fired between 800–1100 ºC are evaluated. The study provides direct evidence for solid state formation of anorthite in contact with carbonate grains and sheds light on the fate of iron compounds under oxidizing and reducing conditions (induced by the presence of organic matter) and their influence on the textural evolution of fired bricks. Brick durability and compatibility are discussed based on their hydric and mechanical performance. The findings of this study further the understanding of temperature-induced soil mineral changes and have practical implications for the design of compatible bricks for heritage conservation and new construction.Spanish Government grant PID2021.125305NB.I00 funded by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A Way of Making EuropeUnidad de Excelencia “UCE2018-01 - Ciencia en la Alhambra” (UGR)Unidad Cientifica de Excelencia “UCE.PP2016.05″ (UGR)Research Group “RNM0179″ (Junta de Andalucía)Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBU