The field of quantitative evolutionary design uses evolutionary reasoning (in terms of natural selection and ultimate causation) to understand the magnitudes of biological reserve capacities, i.e. excesses of capacities over natural loads. Ratios of capacities to loads, defined as safety factors, fall in the range 1.2-10 for most engineered and biological components, even though engineered safe...

The European Commission estimates that car crash-related costs in Europe are around 160 billion euros, approximately 2% of the Gross Domestic Product [1]. In several countries, car crashes are the first cause of death among subjects aged 15-30, with a direct heavy impact on the years of life lost; in young subjects car crashes also represent one of the major causes of disability [2]. Several dr...

Marine collagen derived from fish scales, skin, and bone has been widely investigated for application as a scaffold and carrier due to its bioactive properties, including excellent biocompatibility, low antigenicity, and high biodegradability and cell growth potential. Fish type I collagen is an effective material as a biodegradable scaffold or spacer replicating the natural extracellular matri...

Tests are reported on a modified laminar flow biological safety cabinet in which the return air plenum that conducts air from the work area to the high efficiency particulate air filters is under negative pressure. Freon gas released inside the cabinet could not be detected outside by a freon gas detection method capable of detecting 10(-6) cc/s. When T3 bacteriophage was aerosolized 5 cm outsi...

background : safety signs provide information as well as instructions concerning the hazard or dangers in the workplace. the correct comprehension of these signs is very important for doing the necessary feedback in the specific situation which are described.  materials and methods: in this descriptive study, the comprehension of 10 selected safety signs were investigated in 53 randomly selecte...