Characterization and classification of textures on natural images

The existing texture classification methods are generally based on a parameter extraction stage followed by a classifier stage . Using this kind of method,for an operational application requires to take into account the risk of classes mixture in the parameters space . We propose to take profit of Gagalowicz conjecture in order ta minimise this risk . The conjecture provides us with a set of parameters which totally describe the texture. We show that a connectionnist classifier is able to deal efficiently with these parameters .La plus grande partie des méthodes de classification de textures existantes consiste à alimenter un classifieur par un ensemble de paramètres caractéristiques calculés localement sur l'image texturée. La mise en œuvre de ces méthodes dans le cadre d'applications opérationnelles suppose la prise en compte d'un élément important : le risque de confusion de classes dans l'espace paramétrique. Pour éviter ce problème, nous proposons d'exploiter la conjecture de Gagalowicz [12], qui nous fournit un ensemble de paramètres suffisants pour caractériser totalement la texture. Nous montrons qu'un classifieur connexionniste est capable d'exploiter efficacement ces paramètre

Combining regenerative medicine strategies to provide durable reconstructive options: auricular cartilage tissue engineering

Recent advances in regenerative medicine place us in a unique position to improve the quality of engineered tissue. We use auricular cartilage as an exemplar to illustrate how the use of tissue-specific adult stem cells, assembly through additive manufacturing and improved understanding of postnatal tissue maturation will allow us to more accurately replicate native tissue anisotropy. This review highlights the limitations of autologous auricular reconstruction, including donor site morbidity, technical considerations and long-term complications. Current tissue-engineered auricular constructs implanted into immune-competent animal models have been observed to undergo inflammation, fibrosis, foreign body reaction, calcification and degradation. Combining biomimetic regenerative medicine strategies will allow us to improve tissue-engineered auricular cartilage with respect to biochemical composition and functionality, as well as microstructural organization and overall shape. Creating functional and durable tissue has the potential to shift the paradigm in reconstructive surgery by obviating the need for donor sites

Biofabrication: an overview of the approaches used for printing of living cells

The development of cell printing is vital for establishing biofabrication approaches as clinically relevant tools. Achieving this requires bio-inks which must not only be easily printable, but also allow controllable and reproducible printing of cells. This review outlines the general principles and current progress and compares the advantages and challenges for the most widely used biofabrication techniques for printing cells: extrusion, laser, microvalve, inkjet and tissue fragment printing. It is expected that significant advances in cell printing will result from synergistic combinations of these techniques and lead to optimised resolution, throughput and the overall complexity of printed constructs

Layer-by-layer bioassembly of cellularized polylactic acid porous membranes for bone tissue engineering

The conventional tissue engineering is based on seeding of macroporous scaffold on its surface ("top-down" approach). The main limitation is poor cell viability in the middle of the scaffold due to poor diffusion of oxygen and nutrients and insufficient vascularization. Layer-by-Layer (LBL) bioassembly is based on "bottom-up" approach, which considers assembly of small cellularized blocks. The aim of this work was to evaluate proliferation and differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (HBMSCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in two and three dimensions (2D, 3D) using a LBL assembly of polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds fabricated by 3D printing. 2D experiments have shown maintain of cell viability on PLA, especially when a co-cuture system was used, as well as adequate morphology of seeded cells. Early osteoblastic and endothelial differentiations were observed and cell proliferation was increased after 7 days of culture. In 3D, cell migration was observed between layers of LBL constructs, as well as an osteoblastic differentiation. These results indicate that LBL assembly of PLA layers could be suitable for BTE, in order to promote homogenous cell distribution inside the scaffold and gene expression specific to the cells implanted in the case of co-culture system