Application of Encapsulation Technology: In Vitro Screening of Two Ficus carica L. Genotypes under Different NaCl Concentrations

Salinity stress represents an increasing issue for agriculture and has a great negative impact on plant growth and crop production. The selection of genotypes able to tolerate salt stress could be a suitable solution to overcome the problem. In this context, in vitro cultures can represent a tool for identifying the NaCl tolerant genotypes and quickly producing large populations of them. The possibility of exerting selection for tolerance to NaCl by using encapsulation technology was investigated in two genotypes of fig: 'Houmairi' and 'Palazzo'. The effects of five concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM) added to the artificial endosperm were tested on the conversion of synthetic seeds and on the growth of derived shoots/plantlets. Moreover, proline (Pro) and malondialdehyde (MDA), the enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), and EL (Electrolytic Leakage), as well as the chlorophyll content, flavanols, anthocyanins, and Nitrogen Balance Index (NBI) were determined on shoots/plantlet. The obtained results clearly showed that 'Houmairi' and 'Palazzo' could tolerate salt stress, although a strong difference was found depending on each specific physiological pathway. Indeed, 'Houmairi' was revealed to be more tolerant than 'Palazzo', with different response mechanisms to salt stress. The use of encapsulated vitro-derived explants proved to be a useful method to validate the selection of genotypes tolerant to salinity stress. Further investigation in the field must validate and confirm the legitimacy of the approach

Endoscopic guide wire gallbladder decompression in a critically ill, septic patient

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Treatment of infected pancreatic pseudocysts using a novel, dedicated covered self-expandable metal stent (CSEMS) with an effective antimigration system

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Amarelli's Industry 4.0 Transformation with IoT and Digital Advertisement: Optimizing Operations and Engaging Customers

This paper presents a vertical IoT solution for Amarelli, a licorice producing company, aiming to optimize their operations and enhance their customer engagement through the integration of IoT technology, Enterprice Resource Planning (EPR) system, e-commerce and social media advertising. The proposed solution includes several key components, such as IoT-enabled production monitoring, warehouse monitoring, RFID tracking, and real-time data analysis. The solution also integrates an ERP system, to provide business intelligence and e-commerce combination to enhance online presence and customer engagement through social media advertising. This vertical solution will enable Amarelli to improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability, while also providing valuable insights into customer preferences and purchasing behavior. The implementation of this solution will position Amarelli at the forefront of Industry 4.0, and help the company to stay competitive in today's rapidly evolving marketplace

Synthetic Crysotile Nano-Crystals as a Reference Standard to Investigate Surface-Induce Serum Albumin Structural Modifications

Geoinspired synthetic chrysotile, which represents an ideal asbestos reference standard, has been utilized to investigate homomolecular exchange of bovine serum albumin (BSA), the major plasma protein, between the adsorbed and dissolved state at the interface between asbestos fibers and biological medium. FTIR spectroscopy has been used to quantify BSA structural modifications due to surface adhesion on chrysotile fibers as a function of the surface coating extent. Circular dichroism spectroscopy has been used to investigate the adsorption/desorption equilibrium through analysis of the BSA structural perturbations after protein desorption from chrysotile surface. Data results show clearly that in the solid state BSA modifications are driven by surface interaction with the substrate, following a bimodal adsorption evidenced by two different binding constants. On the other hand, BSA desorbed in solution is able to rearrange, in the lack of substrate, although keeping irreversible modifications with respect to the native species. The lack of regaining its native structure certainly affects albumin interaction with biological environment. The present investigation on the stoichiometric synthetic geoinspired chrysotile nanocrystals is the first approach toward a deeper attempt to use standard synthetic chrysotile reference samples in mimicking the behavior of asbestos fibers and allows to better understand their interaction with a biological environment

High-fidelity simulations of CdTe vapor deposition from a new bond-order potential-based molecular dynamics method

CdTe has been a special semiconductor for constructing the lowest-cost solar cells and the CdTe-based Cd1-xZnxTe alloy has been the leading semiconductor for radiation detection applications. The performance currently achieved for the materials, however, is still far below the theoretical expectations. This is because the property-limiting nanoscale defects that are easily formed during the growth of CdTe crystals are difficult to explore in experiments. Here we demonstrate the capability of a bond order potential-based molecular dynamics method for predicting the crystalline growth of CdTe films during vapor deposition simulations. Such a method may begin to enable defects generated during vapor deposition of CdTe crystals to be accurately explored

ALPINE FARM SCALE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRODUCTIVE SYSTEM AND QUALITY OF DAIRY PRODUCTS

Alpine dairy farming is shifted from an extensive activity based on pasture and low genetic merit cow to an intensive system with specialized breeds and increasing level of concentrate as a supplement in the diet. As a main consequence, a lower echo-compatibility could determine adverse externalities on environment and quality of dairy products. Considering 18 dairy farming located in the mountain area of Veneto Region (Italy), the Environmental Summarizing Indicator (ESI) was estimated by using agronomic and dairying variables. Results indicated that variability of ESI was manly due to productive performance of dairy cows probably because there was a lack of information in the assessment of pasture characteristics. However, higher level of ESI were closely related to the increase of N-phile species and/or less attractive vegetation for grazing cows, even if the indicator seems to explain only a limited part of the variability of the phenomenon. The increase of ESI values seemed to lead to a loss of nutritive value of milk because of the incidence of health favourable fatty acids was reduced

Mitochondrial Complex III Deficiency Caused by TTC19 Defects : Report of a Novel Mutation and Review of Literature

We report about a patient with infantile-onset neurodegenerative disease associated with isolated mitochondrial respiratory chain complex III (cIII) deficiency. The boy, now 13 years old, presented with language regression and ataxia at 4 years of age and then showed a progressive course resulting in the loss of autonomous gait and speaking during the following 2 years. Brain MRI disclosed bilateral striatal necrosis. Sequencing of a panel containing nuclear genes associated with cIII deficiency revealed a previously undescribed homozygous rearrangement (c.782_786delinsGAAAAG) in TTC19 gene, which results in a frameshift with premature termination (p.Glu261Glyfs(*)8). TTC19 protein was absent in patient's fibroblasts. TTC19 encodes tetratricopeptide 19, a putative assembly factor for cIII. To date TTC19 mutations have been reported only in few cases, invariably associated with cIII deficiency, but presenting heterogeneous clinical phenotypes. We reviewed the genetic, biochemical, clinical and neuroradiological features of TTC19 mutant patients described to date