HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS AS A MODEL OF STUDY FOR NEW BIOMATERIALS IN BONE TISSUE REGENERATION

The reconstruction of large bone segments remains a critical clinical problem in the case of extensive bone loss due to traumatic or pathological events. Due to its ideal biocompatibility and osteogenic properties, autologous bone is still considered the gold standard for bone replacement applications, however its use has limitations such as supply amount and unpredictable healing kinetics. These limitations and recent progress in biotechnology have driven the development of materials/scaffolds for bone repair. Biocompatibility issues and materials/scaffolds features need to be investigated and the usefulness of human cell cultures for biocompatibility testing is confirmed by experimental studies. In-vitro models employing human cells to study the interactions between the cell system and the biomaterial/device allow for a reasonable prediction of its performance in vivo. To study coral derived Hydroxyl-Apatite (HA) osteo-conductivity and cyto-toxicity we employed an engineered osteoblast-like cellular model named Saos-eGFP. Although the efficacy of this cellular model, the need of an in-vitro tool resembling a more physiological-like cellular response, led to the development of an adult human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSCs) model. This model was employed to assay porous stoichiometric HA and non-stoichiometric Mg-HA bone substitutes. Our studies showed how human cells may be employed to analyze osteo- conductivity/inductivity and cyto-toxicity, and specifically how hMSCs allow a more insightful understanding of the earliest phase of cell-biomaterial interaction, addressing the question of which type of biomaterials could be better for bone regeneration applications

Takayasu’s arteritis: A case report and a brief review of the literature

Takayasu’s arteritis primarily affects young women. The current case report focuses on a Caucasian middle-aged woman who complained of weakness, malaise, and fatigue for as many as 19 years. Delayed diagnosis and lack of specific treatment could explain the extent and the clinical severity of the disease at time of hospital admission. Angiography showed focal narrowings of the abdominal and thoracic aorta and occlusion of both the subclavian arteries, of the right coronary artery and severe stenosis of the first marginal obtuse. Takayasu’s arteritis is not limited to women of Japanese origin but is present worldwide. Early diagnosis and treatment is warranted. Outcome appears to be favorable when the disease is quiescent

Assessment of the seasonal pattern of burr and nut growth in a chestnut ‘Marrone-type’ cultivar

Seasonal patterns of burr and nut growth were measured in sweet chestnut trees (C. sativa Mill.) of the cultivar ‘Marrone di Castel del Rio’. Burr and nut growth expressed as diameter, fresh and dry weight, and dry matter were assessed from mid of June to mid of October. Results evidenced that burr mainly grows in the initial period of the season, while the nut had a rapid growth in the last part of the season (i.e., beginning of September). Dry matter of burrs started decreasing when its accumulation in the nuts was increasing. Burrs with the highest number of nuts (three), experienced a limited nut growth compared to burrs with two or one nuts per burr, but only at the beginning of nut filling phase. Lateral nut evidenced a higher growth in weight (fresh and dry) in the first part of the season with occasionally reduced dry matter compared to central nuts. The burr diameter had a strong positive relationship with the internal nut diameter and with the total nut weight

Liolaemus cuyanus. Saurophagy.

First record of saurophagy in Liolaemus cuyanusFil: Gallardo, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Chilecito; ArgentinaFil: Scrocchi Manfrini, Gustavo Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentin

Activity patterns and abundance of a population of Liolaemus espinozai Abdala, 2005 (Iguania: Liolaemidae) in Campo el Arenal, Catamarca, Argentina

Se investigaron los patrones de actividad y abundancias relativas de Liolaemus espinozai, especie endémica de Campo El Arenal (Catamarca, Argentina), entre el año 2007 y 2010. Se contabilizó un total de 1694 avistajes (865 adultos, 620 juveniles y 209 infantiles). Los machos adultos presentan actividad entre octubre y mayo, las hembras entre noviembre y mayo; los juveniles están activos durante todo el año y los infantiles se incorporan a la población a fines de enero o principios de febrero por lo que ésta es la época con mayor abundancia total. Los adultos fueron más abundantes en primavera y verano, en tanto que los juveniles en otoño. Los machos adultos son más abundantes que las hembras durante la primavera (época reproductiva), mientras que éstas lo son en el verano (post-reproductiva). Durante los meses de mayores temperaturas (noviembre a enero) se observa un patrón de actividad bimodal y en los meses restantes la actividad es unimodal. Los patrones de actividad encontrados en adultos machos y hembras, juveniles e infantiles se relacionan de manera diferente con la temperatura, el fotoperíodo y la precipitación.Activity patterns and relative abundances were investigated of Liolaemus espinozai, an endemic species from Campo El Arenal (Catamarca, Argentina), between 2007 and 2010. There were a total of 1694 sightings (865 adults, 620 juveniles and 209 hatchlings). Male adults are active from October, followed by females one month later until May; juveniles are active throughout the year, and hatchlings are added to the population in late January or early February, so this is the time with the greatest total abundance. Adults were more abundant in spring and summer, and juveniles in autumn. Adult males are more abundant than females in spring (breeding season), while these are in the summer (post-reproductive season). The species exhibits a bimodal pattern of activity in the months of higher temperatures, and unimodal in the rest of the months. The different activity patterns found in adult males and females, juveniles and hatchlings are related in a different way with temperature, photoperiod and rainfall.Fil: Cabrera, Maria Paula. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Scrocchi Manfrini, Gustavo Jose. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Herpetología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Dynamical influence of vortex-antivortex pairs in magnetic vortex oscillators

We study the magnetization dynamics in a nanocontact magnetic vortex oscillators as function of temperature. Low temperature experiments reveal that the dynamics at low and high currents differ qualitatively. At low currents, we excite a temperature independent standard oscillation mode, consisting in the gyrotropic motion of a free layer vortex about the nanocontact. Above a critical current, a sudden jump of the frequency is observed, concomitant with a substantial increase of the frequency versus current slope factor. Using micromagnetic simulation and analytical modeling, we associate this new regime to the creation of a vortex-antivortex pair in the pinned layer of the spin valve. The vortex-antivortex distance depends on the Oersted field which favors a separation, and on the exchange bias field, which favors pair merging. The pair in the pinned layer provides an additional spin torque altering the dynamics of the free layer vortex, which can be quantitatively accounted for by an analytical model

Non-volatile spin wave majority gate at the nanoscale

A spin wave majority fork-like structure with feature size of 40\,nm, is presented and investigated, through micromagnetic simulations. The structure consists of three merging out-of-plane magnetization spin wave buses and four magneto-electric cells serving as three inputs and an output. The information of the logic signals is encoded in the phase of the transmitted spin waves and subsequently stored as direction of magnetization of the magneto-electric cells upon detection. The minimum dimensions of the structure that produce an operational majority gate are identified. For all input combinations, the detection scheme employed manages to capture the majority phase result of the spin wave interference and ignore all reflection effects induced by the geometry of the structure

Precision Management of Fruit Trees

The aim of the Special Issue “Precision Management of Fruit Trees” was to collect new insights to support the adoption of advanced, efficient, and sustainable management techniques in the fruit production sector. Indeed, this is an opportunity offered by the technological innovations adopted using new-generation sensors and implemented through precise management operations. This Special Issue contains 11 scientific articles contributing to our knowledge on the precision management of fruit trees, indicating the high activity of this sector and possibly leading to the application of new techniques/protocols to overcome global and rapidly changing environmental issues. Scalisi et al. [1], in their study, aimed to (i) determine the reliability of a portable Bluetooth colour meter for fruit colour measurements; (ii) characterise the changes in quantitative skin colour attributes in a nectarine cultivar in response to time from harvest; and (iii) determine the influence of row orientation and training system on nectarine skin colour. Overall, the device proved reliable for fruit colour detection. The results of this study highlight the potential of one of the measured parameters as a quantitative index to monitor ripening prior to harvest in nectarines. Remote sensing techniques based on images acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could represent an effective tool to speed up the data acquisition process in phenotyping trials and, consequently, to reduce the time and cost of the field work. Caruso et al. [2] confirmed the ability of a UAV equipped with RGB-NIR cameras to highlight differences in geometrical and spectral canopy characteristics between eight olive cultivars planted at different planting distances in a hedgerow olive orchard. Tree densities have increased greatly in olive orchards over the last few decades. Ladux et al. [3], in their study, found that the leaf area index (LAI) of neighbouring trees modifies the light quality environment prior to a tree being directly shaded, as well as the morphological responses of olive cultivars to changes in light quality. The results suggested that cultivar differences in response to light quality may be relevant for understanding adaptation to dense orchards and identifying cultivars best suited to them. Saha et al. [4] found that monitoring plant vegetative growth can provide the basis for precise crop management. In this study, a 2D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) laser scanner, mounted on a linear conveyor, was used to acquire multi-temporal, three-dimensional (3D) data from strawberry plants. The results contributed to building up an approach for estimating plant geometrical features, particularly strawberry canopy volume profile based on LiDAR point cloud for tracking plant growth. Carella et al. [5] studied the physiological and productive behaviour of different olive cultivars grown under a high-density hedgerow system and compared their fruiting and branch architecture features to determine the possibility to use ‘Calatina’ olive trees for intensive plantings, as a local alternative to the international reference ‘Arbequina’. The study indicated that ‘Calatina’ is more efficient in terms of yield and harvesting than ‘Arbequina’. This qualifies ‘Calatina’ as a superior, yield-efficient olive cultivar suitable for intensive hedgerow plantings to be harvested with straddle or side-by-side trunk shaker machines. Sirgedaitė-Šėžienė et al. [6] used ‘Rubin’ apple trees grafted on dwarfing P60 rootstocks to determine the impact of canopy training treatments as a stress factor on metabolic response to obtain key information on how to improve physiological behaviour and the management of growth and development of apple trees. The results indicated that all applied canopy training treatments significantly increased the total phenol and total starch contents in apple tree leaves. Scalisi et al. [7] in their work aimed to derive a new fruit skin colour attribute—namely, a Colour Development Index (CDI), ranging from 0 to 1, that intuitively increases as fruit becomes redder—to assess colour development in peach and nectarine fruit skin. The study found that the CDI can serve as a standardised and objective skin colour index for peaches and nectarines. Čirjak et al. [8] summarize the automatic methods (image analysis systems, smart traps, sensors, decision support systems, etc.) used to monitor the major pest in apple production (Cydia pomonella L.) and other important apple pests and fruit flies to improve sustainable pest management under frequently changing climatic conditions. Pisciotta et al. [9] released a review underlying the opportunities offered by the recently developed table-grape soil-less cultivation systems; this is an up-to-date examination of the latest experimental and applied findings of the sector’s research activities. A special emphasis is given to the evolution of the applied technical solutions, varietal choice, and environmental conditions for the aims of table-grape soil-less cultivation. Borgogno-Mondino et al. [10] evaluated a promising alternative offered by Copernicus Sentinel 2 data (S2) to midday stem water potential for monitoring the water status of pomegranate plants and for addressing irrigation management. Despite limited ground observations, the results showed the promising capability of spectral indices (NDVI, NDRE, and NDWI) and S2 bands in estimating Ψstem readings. Boini et al. [11], in their study, used shading nets to lower irrigation requirements and make apple growing more sustainable. The encouraging results showed a comparable yield and fruit quality saving 50% of irrigation water under a classic anti-hail system compared to the control treatment