Research

Advanced X-ray Analysis of Balloons Pigments and the Correlation with Chemical Composition

Advanced X-ray Analysis of Balloons Pigments and the Correlation with Chemical Composition

Non-destructive techniques for analysis of components of a sample are very beneficial and indeed essential (Nuevo and Sa´nchez 2011). X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is among the most cited analytical methods in literature dealing with the investigation of metals, crystals, and ceramics. It is also used frequently for research in environmental science, forensic science, and archaeology. However, XRF does not provide the ability to detect light elements (Z < 11) and compounds. This study aims to illustrate how quantitative and qualitative analysis can be performed on XRF data to extract information about compounds, overcoming the limitation of the XRF spectrometer in recognizing them.

The Structure and Physiology of the Nuclear Pore Complex

The Structure and Physiology of the Nuclear Pore Complex

The Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC) is a protein channel that communicates and transports molecules between the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm. It has a complex structure composed of many structural proteins, mainly nucleoporins and transporter proteins, and its biosynthesis is an extremely regulated and cell cycle phase dependent process. Moreover, in the present review, it will be shown that this structure could play a decisive role in gene expression and in the pathogenesis of several diseases.