Durability testing at one atmosphere of advanced catalysts and catalyst supports for automotive gas turbine engine combustors, part 1

The durability of catalysts and catalyst supports in a combustion environment was experimentally demonstrated. A test of 1000 hours duration was completed with two catalysts, using diesel fuel and operating at catalytically supported thermal combustion conditions. The performance of the catalysts was determined by monitoring emissions throughout the test, and by examining the physical condition of the catalyst core at the conclusion of the test. The test catalysts proved to be capable of low emissions operation after 1000 hours diesel aging, with no apparent physical degradation of the catalyst support

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.): Suitability of Traditional Cultivars to a Low-Trellis Farming System in a Semiarid Environment

Humulus lupulus is a dioecious twining herb, with an outstanding vertical development capacity. Hop plants are usually grown on trellises up to 4.5 to 6.0 m high, whose management requires intense use of water, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor. In semiarid Mediterranean areas, where native resources are often scarce, the adoption of low-trellis farming systems could be a sustainable option for hop cultiva-tion. With the aim of evaluating hop suitability to low-trellis cultivation in a Mediter-ranean environment, in 2018 and 2019 three traditional hop genotypes ('Cascade', 'Chinook', and 'Nugget') were grown, and their development rate was evaluated and put in relation with the plants' cone, root, and biomass yield. Moreover, organic (fragmented pine bark) and synthetic [black polyethylene (PE) plastic film] mulches were applied on the same cultivars, and both epigeal and hypogeal development were evaluated. The results showed that the faster the growth in the first two phases of plant elongation (up to 50% of the height of the upper wire), the lower the yield in both cones and total epigeal biomass. A fast growth rate was instead associated with a higher hypogeal biomass production. Mulching was able to significantly affect the hypogeal biomass, specifically for cv. Cascade, where the use of synthetic mulching allowed significant root biomass increases. The analysis of the results obtained showed that hop's suitability to a low-trellis farming system is highly variable among varieties in the semiarid Mediterranean environment

Variability of morphological descriptors in Sicilian oat (Avena sativa L.) populations

Due to its rusticity and feasibility of use, oat (Avena sativa L.) represents a crucial agronomic and economic resource for many semiarid environments. Presently, the recourse to new commercial varieties has caused a dramatic lowering of areas covered with the traditional local genotypes, and a severe risk of genetic erosion is emerging. To deepen the knowledge about the autochthonous oat populations, an activity of collection and cataloging across semiarid cropping areas was carried out. Sixteen oat populations were collected from different areas of Sicily and put in a field study for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) in the experimental farm “Sparacia” (Cammarata, Italy). In both years and all populations, 21 morphological characters, related to different aspects of the whole plant or plant parts, were measured as described in the guidelines Community Plant Variety Office—Office Communautaire des Varietes Vegetales (CPVO-OCVV) (rif. CPVO-TP/020/2). Multivariate analysis (MA) was applied to assess the similarity/dissimilarity level among populations, also evaluating the relative discriminatory importance of each selected plant character. Although a strong variability between years did not allow perfect discrimination among genotypes, an association between oat groups emerged based on their prevalent utilization form. Among categorical characters, measurements on glumes and grain provided the best characterization of the populations in both years

Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum L.) as a Novel Multipurpose Crop for Agriculture in Marginal Environments: A Review

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) is a versatile crop that has adapted to the broadly different soil and environmental conditions throughout all continents. To date, the fruits (\u201cseeds\u201d) of the plant are the only reliable source of silymarin, which, given its recognized therapeutic effects and its many present and potential uses, has led to a significant re-discovery and enhancement of the crop in recent years. Overall, although many studies have been carried out globally on the bioactivity, phytochemistry, and genetics of milk thistle, few and discontinuous research activity has been conducted on its basic agronomy as well as on the farm opportunities offered by the cultivation of this species. However, the multiple potential uses of the plant and its reduced need for external inputs suggest that milk thistle can perfectly fit among the most interesting alternative crops, even for marginal environments. The growing interest in natural medicine, the increasing popularity of herbal dietary supplements, and the multiple possibilities for livestock feeding are all arguments supporting the idea that in many rural areas, this crop could represent a significant tool for enhancing and stabilizing farm income. However, several issues still have to be addressed. The species retains some morphological and physiological traits belonging to non-domesticated plants, which make the application of some common agronomic practices challenging. Furthermore, the lack of reliable field data devoted to the definition of suitable cropping protocols represents a major constraint on the spread of this crop among farmers. This review has therefore focused on updating information on the main morphological and phytochemical traits of the crop and its agronomic characteristics and novel uses. Several gaps in technical knowledge have been addressed, and further goals for experimental activity have been outlined in order to guide farmers eager to cope with the cultivation of such a challenging and resource-rich crop

Biochar enhances root development and aloin content of mature leaves in containerized Aloe arborescens Mill

The leaves of the medicinal plant Aloe arborescens Mill. Asphodelaceae) contain significant amounts of bioactive metabolites, including aloin (a mixture of the two diastereoisomers, aloin A and aloin B), aloesin, isoaloeresin D, and aloenin A. The presence of these metabolites varies considerably depending on the plant’s growth conditions, including the used growing substrate. In recent years, there has been growing interest in using biochar for potted plants cultivation. However, there is currently no available information regarding the suitability of biochar for the containerized cultivation of A. arborescens. A pot experiment was conducted with the hypothesis that biochar could influence the growth and phytochemistry of A. arborescens. The growing medium was supplied with increasing proportions of biochar (1: 100% commercial substrate; 2: mixed 50%(v/v) substrate; 3: 100% conifers wood biochar). Over the course of three years, the plants were closely monitored, and several key growth parameters were measured, including plant height, stem diameter, number and weight of leaves, and the number of suckers. After the first year, the content of selected active metabolites wasassessed. This evaluation also involved a comparison of the respective levels in the leaves taken from the apical, median, and basal sections of the stem. The leaves collected from the median section of plants were found to be larger and exhibited the highest percentage of spikes, epidermis, and gel on fresh weight. As a general trend, it was observed that in plants cultivated within the highest amount of biochar, the leaves collected from the intermediate stem portion contained the highest quantity of secondary metabolites

A High-Throughput Mechanical Activator for Cartilage Engineering Enables Rapid Screening of in vitro Response of Tissue Models to Physiological and Supra-Physiological Loads

Articular cartilage is crucially influenced by loading during development, health, and disease. However, our knowledge of the mechanical conditions that promote engineered cartilage maturation or tissue repair is still incomplete. Current in vitro models that allow precise control of the local mechanical environment have been dramatically limited by very low throughput, usually just a few specimens per experiment. To overcome this constraint, we have developed a new device for the high throughput compressive loading of tissue constructs: the High Throughput Mechanical Activator for Cartilage Engineering (HiT-MACE), which allows the mechanoactivation of 6 times more samples than current technologies. With HiT-MACE we were able to apply cyclic loads in the physiological (e.g., equivalent to walking and normal daily activity) and supra-physiological range (e.g., injurious impacts or extensive overloading) to up to 24 samples in one single run. In this report, we compared the early response of cartilage to physiological and supra-physiological mechanical loading to the response to IL-1β exposure, a common but rudimentary in vitro model of cartilage osteoarthritis. Physiological loading rapidly upregulated gene expression of anabolic markers along the TGF-β1 pathway. Notably, TGF-β1 or serum was not included in the medium. Supra-physiological loading caused a mild catabolic response while IL-1β exposure drove a rapid anabolic shift. This aligns well with recent findings suggesting that overloading is a more realistic and biomimetic model of cartilage degeneration. Taken together, these findings showed that the application of HiT-MACE allowed the use of larger number of samples to generate higher volume of data to effectively explore cartilage mechanobiology, which will enable the design of more effective repair and rehabilitation strategies for degenerative cartilage pathologies

Use of Modified 3D Scaffolds to Improve Cell Adhesion and Drive Desired Cell Responses.

In the most common approach of tissue engineering, a polymeric scaffold with a well-defined architecture has emerged as a promising platform for cells adhesion and guide their proliferation and differentiation into the desired tissue or organ. An ideal model for the regeneration should mimic clinical conditions of tissue injury, create a permissive microenvironment for diffusion of nutrients, gases and growth factors and permit angiogenesis. In this work, we used a 3D support made of synthetic resorbable polylactic acid (PLLA), which has considerable potential because of its well-known biocompatibility and biodegradability. One of the factors that influence cell adhesion to the scaffold is its porosity degree, but surface properties represent the main driving forces that influence the composition and orientation of proteins that will be absorbed onto material surfaces. We used scaffolds in which it was possible to control pore size and that had undergone on type-I collagen treatment, to mimic the extra cellular matrix, or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) combined with plasma treatment, in order to modify surface chemistry of the material. Our results show different cell affinity in non-treated scaffolds compared to type-I collagen or plasma modified ones. These surface changes are of considerable interest for tissue engineering and other areas of biomaterials science, where it can be useful to improve the surface of biomedical polymers to facilitate the colonization of the structure by the cells and obtain a more rapid regeneration or tissue replacement.In the most common approach of tissue engineering, a polymeric scaffold with a well-defined architecture has emerged as a promising platform for cells adhesion and guide their proliferation and differentiation into the desired tissue or organ. An ideal model for the regeneration should mimic clinical conditions of tissue injury, create a permissive microenvironment for diffusion of nutrients, gases and growth factors and permit angiogenesis. In this work, we used a 3D support made of synthetic resorbable polylactic acid (PLLA), which has considerable potential because of its well-known biocompatibility and biodegradability. One of the factors that influence cell adhesion to the scaffold is its porosity degree, but surface properties represent the main driving forces that influence the composition and orientation of proteins that will be absorbed onto material surfaces. We used scaffolds in which it was possible to control pore size and that had undergone on type-I collagen treatment, to mimic the extra cellular matrix, or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) combined with plasma treatment, in order to modify surface chemistry of the material. Our results show different cell affinity in non-treated scaffolds compared to type-I collagen or plasma modified ones. These surface changes are of considerable interest for tissue engineering and other areas of biomaterials science, where it can be useful to improve the surface of biomedical polymers to facilitate the colonization of the structure by the cells and obtain a more rapid regeneration or tissue replacement. Copyright © 2012, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l

Tubular composite scaffolds produced via Diffusion Induced Phase Separation (DIPS) as a shaping strategy for anterior cruciate ligaments reconstruction

Injuries of tendons and ligaments are common, especially among the young population. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries do not heal due to its limited vascularization and hence, surgical intervention is usually required. The ideal scaffold for ligament tissue engineering (TE) should be biocompatible and possess mechanical and functional characteristics comparable to the native ACL. The Diffusion Induced Phase Separation (DIPS) technique allows the preparation of homogenous porous tubular scaffold with micro-pores using a rather simple procedure. Composites based on biodegradable polymers and bioglass have attracted much attention in tissue reconstruction and repair because of their biological and physicochemical advantages. In this work a new approach in ACL TE will be proposed focussing on the development of a suitable technique for in vitro seeding of lapine ACL fibroblasts into tubular-shaped instructive Poly-lactic-acid (PLLA) scaffolds, supplemented or not with bioglass (BG) 1393, produced via DIPS. Tubular composite scaffold (diameters: 1.2 and 2 mm, +/- BG) were obtained through a dip coating around a cylindrical support followed by a DIPS. An 8%wt PLLA/dioxane solution was prepared with 5%wt of BG-1393 as filler. Preliminary in vitro cell culture trials were carried out by seeding lapine ACL fibroblasts inside the scaffolds (2 cm as length) employing different seeding strategies in order to find the best way that allows to obtain a homogeneous fibroblast distribution inside the tubes. (1) First trials consisted in the inoculating of the cell suspension inside the tubes and maintaining them in dynamical culture. (2) The second one was done by suspending the cells in a fibrin gel polymerized within the tubes by using of thrombin. (3) The third approach was carried out by using cell spheroids (three-dimensional self-assembled cell agglomerates). Cell attachment, viability and morphology were examined by live-death and Hematoxylin/Eosin stainings after 1, 7, 14 d and vimentin immunolabelings (7 d). Scanning electron microscopical analysis revealed that the internal surface of the tubes was homogeneously structured with micropores sized around 5 µm and a mean thickness of the wall of 60 µm. The results showed cell adhesion to the wall of the tubes with all seeding techniques applied even though with fibrin gel it was more homogenous. Furthermore, colonized areas expanded with culture time and the majority of cell survived irrespectively of seeding techniques. (1) In inoculation phase, many cells left the scaffold and attached on the plate. Even after the dynamic culture (rotating device) most cells covered only half the tube inner surface. (2) In the second trial, a fibrin gel was used to achieve a homogenous cell distribution during seeding. In the early stage (48 h) cells remained captured inside the fibrin, but after 7 d they become elongated and migrated from the fibrin to the inner tube surface forming a compact cell layer. So, the fibrin appears helpful to achieve an immediate high cell seeding efficiency and an almost homogeneous cell distribution inside the tubes. (3) Although using the spheroid technique the scaffold internal surface was not homogeneously colonized with cells, after 7 d cell migration to the inner scaffold surface from the attaching spheroids could be observed. In longitudinal sections cells were elongated like typical ligament fibroblasts parallel to the longitudinal tube axis. Therefore, it can be affirmed that employment of tubular scaffolds produced by DIPS could be a promising approach of ligament TE. In the future, it would be interesting to evaluate the effectiveness of seeding by combining the spheroids and the fibrin gel

Pro-inflammatory M1/Th1 type immune network and increased expression of TSG-6 in the eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis

Objective The study aimed to explore the type 1 and type 2 cytokines expression in the endometrium from women affected by endometriosis compared to controls. The expression of TSG-6, a multifunctional protein involved in several inflammatory disease, was also evaluated. Study Design Setting Experimental clinical study. Patients 10 patients affected by endometriosis and 11 controls. Interventions Patients underwent to an ultrasound transvaginal examination and a diagnostic hysteroscopy in order to exclude any uterine abnormality. All patients underwent endometrial biopsy using a Novak's curette. Main outcome measures The endometrial expression of type 1 (IL- 1 β TNF-α, IL-8) and type 2 (IL-10) cytokines, and of TSG-6 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and by real time PCR. The expression of TSG-6 was confirmed by western blot. Results Results of PCR analysis and of immunohistochemistry revealed an increased expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8 and of TSG-6 in the endometrium of endometriosic patients. IL-10 expression did not show any difference. Conclusions An increased expression of pro-inflammatory type 1 cytokines was demonstrated in the endometrium from endometriosic patients, suggesting an endometrial environment harmful for implantation due to the prevalence of Th1 related immunity. An increased expression of TSG-6 was also demonstrated for the first time. Our findings concur to better define the inflammatory imbalance and the abnormal endometrial receptivity, reported in literature, of the eutopic endometrium of women affected by endometriosis